Overview

• A 37-year-old patient who lost all four limbs in a high-voltage accident 13 years ago received the implant on March 25 and was operating computer programs, racing games and chess by thought alone within three weeks.
• The device’s neural electrodes measure under 6 mm thick and fit through a 26 mm skull opening, offering over 100 times the flexibility of Neuralink’s system to reduce tissue damage.
• Led by CEBSIT at Fudan University’s Huashan Hospital, the trial marks China’s entry into in-human invasive BCI testing alongside the US’s Neuralink studies.
• The research team plans the next phase to translate neural activity into robotic arm movements, aiming to restore grasping and other complex physical functions.
• CEBSIT expects to seek regulatory approval and launch the BCI as a medical device in China by 2028, in a field also advancing through Elon Musk’s Neuralink trials in the US.