INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Editor's note:This year, the 35th national day for assisting persons with disabilities in China is May 18
Events nationwide honor role models with disabilities and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to empowering those with
Meanwhile, tech companies are pioneering advancements in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, creating new opportunities for people
with disabilities to realize their aspirations and dreams.With the help of an intelligent bionic hand, Zhou Jian, who lost his right hand at
12 due to an accident, can write and play the piano again.Zhou is an employee of BrainCo, a unicorn in the brain-computer interface (BCI)
technology located in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.Zhou's bionic hand has sensors in the prosthetic socket, enabling him to
control the prosthesis via his brain
Zhou hopes that people with disabilities can train their phantom limb sensations and have faith in technology's potential to assist them.Han
Bicheng, BrainCo's founder and CEO, has been venturing into non-invasive BCI devices over the last decade
In 2016, BrainCo displayed a prototype of an intelligent bionic hand at the Consumer Electronics Show, gaining industry attention
By 2020, their product had started mass production.Han aims to help 1 million disabled people regain daily living abilities and assist 10
million individuals with autism, Alzheimer's disease, and insomnia within five to 10 years.How BCI worksA BCI system enables people to use
their brain signals to control an external device
It can capture and analyze brain signals and then translate them into usable commands for an external device to convert into action. BCIs
mainly fall into invasive, partially invasive, and non-invasive categories
Pioneering companies in BCI technology, such as Neuralink and BrainGate, focus on invasive BCI devices. Non-invasive BCI devices, like
BrainCo's, face the challenge of accurately reading weak brain signals, which require advanced sensors.BCI in ChinaChinese BCI companies
have seen recent progress
For example, Neuracle's BCI product helped a paralyzed patient partially recover daily functions
The 256-channel, high-throughput, flexible BCI device produced by NeuroXess enabled the patients to use their minds to manipulate software,
pick up things, and speak to a digital avatar
Shanghai StairMed Technology initiated China's first long-term implantation clinical trial for an invasive BCI, allowing an amputee to
operate a computer by thought."Clinical application is crucial for BCI's transition from lab to industry
In the next five years, BCI is expected to play a significant role in treating major brain diseases," said Huang Wenhong, deputy director of
the Institute of Informatization and Software Industry, China Center for Information Industry Development.In February, China's National
Medical Products Administration approved the standard-setting project for brain-related medical device data quality
In March, the National Healthcare Security Administration established pricing items for BCI-related services. This year, multiple cities
and provinces have introduced BCI-specific policies, and the National Science and Technology Ethics Committee has developed BCI research
ethical guidelines.Data shows China's 2024 BCI market has reached 3.2 billion yuan (roughly $444 million), and it's projected to surpass 3.8
