Chinese brain implant reaches landmark clinical trial with operation on amputee
China has become the second country in the world to advance invasive
brain-computer interface technology to a human trial, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday.
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The trial is on a 37-year-old man who had to have all of his limbs amputated after a high-voltage electrical accident more than a decade ago.
In March, researchers implanted a device roughly the size of a coin and a series of electrodes into the man's brain. A few weeks later, he was able to control a cursor on an electronic device, enabling him to play chess and video games, and perform computer operations at a near-normal level of proficiency, according to the report.
The researchers plan to conduct a series of small-scale trials on patients with paralysis or the nervous system disease ALS this year, followed by trials on up to 40 patients in 2026.
The trials are being led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Centre for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University in Shanghai, and industry partners.
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