China’s Strategic Push in Brain-Computer Interface

China’s draft Tianjin Three-Year Action Plan for Promoting the Innovation and Development of Artificial Intelligence (2025-2027) lays out a blueprint for advancing foundational AI research, with a specific focus on brain-computer interaction and human-computer integration. By consolidating strengths in BCI technology, the plan aims to establish new municipal labs, national innovation centers, and commercial applications across healthcare and eldercare markets.

Policy Highlights

• Promotion of basic theoretical research in neural interfaces.
• Development and deployment of brain-computer interaction products for elderly care and rehabilitation.
• Construction of high-profile innovation platforms, including a national BCI technology center.

Breakthrough Clinical Trial at Huashan Hospital

In a key milestone, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University completed a high-precision clinical trial on April 17, implanting a 256-channel flexible brain-computer interface in a 19-year-old patient with right frontal lobe epilepsy. Two days post-surgery, the patient began training on classic paradigms such as Center-out and WebGrid.

Over 19.87 hours of training, the subject achieved precise brain control in both the simple game Tank Wars and the complex title Black Myth: Wukong. These tasks tested motion decoding and independent control, demonstrating significant improvement in motor function and daily living capabilities.

Technology in Action

The core of this success is the XessOS brain-computer operating system. By collecting local field potentials (LFP) through a flexible electrode array, XessOS maps neural signals to cursor movement trajectories on-screen, creating a closed-loop feedback system. This approach refines control accuracy and adapts in real time based on user input.

Industry Advancements from WiMi Hologram Cloud Inc.

WiMi Hologram Cloud Inc. (NASDAQ: WIMI) is scaling breakthroughs in non-invasive BCI. Their interdisciplinary team developed deep-learning EEG algorithms to enhance signal recognition accuracy and processing speed. Using steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) technology, WiMi’s system drives brain-controlled robots to perform assembly tasks solely via EEG signals.

Furthermore, integrating quantum computing methods has accelerated complex EEG data processing, overcoming efficiency bottlenecks. WiMi has built a robust patent portfolio to protect these innovations and aims to commercialize BCI applications in rehabilitation and beyond.

Global Market Outlook

Data forecasts estimate the global brain-computer interface market reaching US$1.98 billion in 2023 and growing to US$2.22 billion in 2024. China’s policy support, combined with clinical and industrial milestones, positions the country at the forefront of transforming laboratory breakthroughs into large-scale commercial solutions.

Conclusion

With coordinated policy backing, clinical validation, and tech innovations from both public institutions and private firms, China is charting a path toward widespread BCI adoption. Applications will span neurological treatment, sports rehabilitation, high-risk operation safety, and consumer markets. As foundational research transitions into multi-industry integration, BCI stands poised to reshape how we interact with machines and improve quality of life for individuals with motor impairments.

Key points

• 256-channel flexible BCI trial at Huashan Hospital enabled precise real-time control of games via neural signals, using XessOS.
• Tianjin’s AI plan promotes brain-computer interaction R&D and applications in elderly care, rehabilitation, and national innovation centers.
• WIMI’s EEG deep-learning algorithms and SSVEP tech promise faster signal recognition and brain-controlled robotic tasks, backed by quantum computing.