Chinese Expert Predicts Brain-Computer Technology Rollout Within Five Years

A leading brain-computer interface researcher in China believes the technology could become widely available to the public within three to five years. China has elevated brain-computer interfaces to a strategic priority as it competes with U.S. companies like Elon Musk's Neuralink.

A prominent Chinese researcher believes brain-computer interface technology could become widely accessible to the general public within the next three to five years as the nation accelerates efforts to compete with American companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

China has designated brain-computer interfaces as a strategic priority industry in its latest five-year development plan, grouping the technology with other cutting-edge sectors including quantum computing, advanced artificial intelligence, next-generation wireless networks, and nuclear fusion.

“New policies will not change things overnight. I think after another three to five years, we will gradually see some (BCI) products moving towards actual practical service for the public,” said Yao Dezhong, Director of the Sichuan Institute of Brain Science, during a weekend interview at China’s parliamentary sessions in Beijing.

The country’s national brain-computer interface roadmap, unveiled last year, targets significant technological advances by 2027 and aims to develop two to three globally competitive companies by 2030.

China has become the second nation to conduct invasive brain-computer interface human testing. The country currently operates more than 10 active trials, equaling the United States, with researchers planning to recruit over 50 patients across the nation this year.

Recent notable studies have allowed paralyzed individuals and amputees to recover some movement capabilities and control robotic limbs or smart wheelchairs.

Several pilot provinces have already incorporated certain brain-computer interface treatments into their national health insurance programs, and industry analysts at CCID Consulting project the domestic market will grow to 5.58 billion yuan ($809 million) by 2027.

“China has many advantages in BCIs, such as its huge population, enormous patient demand, cost-effective industrial chain and abundant pool of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) talent,” explained Yao, who also directs a major neuroinformatics research facility under China’s science and technology ministry.

He noted that initiatives like insurance coverage and national standards are designed to bridge the “huge” divide between scientific research, manufacturing, and medical applications.

“The path from experimental to clinical trials is quite long, and this remains a problem,” he explained to Reuters, noting that numerous Chinese medical centers have established brain-computer interface research facilities to accelerate development.

Unlike American startups such as Neuralink that concentrate on invasive chips implanted directly into brain tissue, Chinese scientists are pursuing invasive, semi-invasive, and non-invasive approaches with broader potential medical applications.

Semi-invasive systems, positioned on the brain’s outer surface, may sacrifice some signal clarity but minimize dangers like tissue injury and surgical complications. Neuralink’s robotic surgery system can implant hundreds of electrodes into brain tissue within minutes.

“This is a technical advantage, which I think is remarkable,” Yao said regarding Neuralink.

“(But) China is actually making very fast progress in this area now. In fact, Musk’s direction is basically achievable domestically.”