China beats Elon Musk’s Neuralink with world’s first commercial brain-computer interface implant – car crash victim given coin-sized chip that turns neural signals into hand movements

There was a notable first for brain-computer interfaces
A commercially available BCI was implanted for the first time
It comes from the Chinese company Neuracle Medical Technology

There was a notable breakthrough in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) this week: Chinese surgeons successfully implanted a commercially available BCI into a patient’s brain for the first time.

As the South China Morning Post reports, the device is called Neural Electronic Opportunity (NEO) and is manufactured and sold by Neuracle Medical Technology. It is the size of a coin and is equipped with eight electrodes.

Although we have seen these types of brain implants used in controlled tests and clinical trials, this is the first time a BCI has been purchased and implanted – thanks to the approval of the NEO for sale by the China National Medical Products Association in March.

Just the beginning

Neuralink logo and chip.

Neuralink is working on its own chip (Image credit: Getty Images/NurPhoto)

As we learned from previous testing of the NEO, the device looks for neural signals from the sensory and motor control regions of the brain. These then translate into actions which are then transmitted to the metal glove worn by the patient.

The system could also be used to control computers, phones and other devices, as well as robotic limbs, its developers say. These devices will inevitably become smarter and smaller over time, so we can expect many more such developments in the future.

According to reports, the individual involved had been in a car accident ten years earlier, leaving him with a damaged spinal cord and reduced hand mobility. After the procedure, the patient recovered well and normal brain signaling was observed.

The obvious point of comparison is Neuralink, led by Elon Musk. Although Neuralink devices have been successfully implanted in several cases, these BCIs do not yet have regulatory approval in the United States and are not commercially available.

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