The talk of a chip inside your brain has been going on for a few years, and Elon Musk's Neuralink seemed to be the only thing getting close to it, but it looks like things have changed. In an interesting turn of events, China has now taken the lead in this race to make brain chips commercial. According to reports coming out of Chinese media outlets, in Shanghai, doctors have carried out the first commercial implantation of a brain-computer interface (BCI), which utilises a device which is duly approved by their regulator to help a patient with spinal cord injury, to bring back their hand movement.
This is quite a leap as it's not just a clinical trial but has become a successful commercial reality with real-world medical use, and in this way, China has pushed tech giant Elon Musk behind in this race. Neuralink right now is still in its testing phase as of now.
Who, What, Where And When?
According to reports, the procedure was done at Huashan Hospital, which is affiliated with Fudan University in Shanghai. The patient who had undergone the surgery was suffering from a spinal cord injury, which had occurred due to an accident. The patient had lost the ability to properly use his hands despite spending years in rehabilitation. After due consultation with a multidisciplinary medical team, the patient was selected for the procedure, which uses Neural Electronic Opportunity (NEO), basically a brain-computer interface produced by Neuracle Medical Technology based in Shanghai.
Chinese authorities have reported that the patient sustained a stable condition after the surgery, and interestingly, the tests that were carried out after it showcased that the device was able to capture high-quality brain voltage or signals, in simple words, as the brain communicates using electrical signals to produce action potential, which is basically what moves your body in very simple words.
What Is NEO?
This is basically an interface that reads brain signals and interpret it and turns them into commands for external devices. The implant is coin-sized and is placed on the surface of the brain and not deep inside. So, in essence, when a person thinks of lifting their hand or picking up something, electric voltages travel through the brain's neurons. In simple words, the brain sends a signal, and these signals are picked up by the coin-sized device, and the said device then sends it to a computer that translates those signals, which can command or control a robotic glove to do the said activity that a person has thought of. According to the company that has carried out the surgery, the goal is to restore the hand movement capabilities of people with paralysis to help them carry out everyday tasks with ease.
This also marks an important regulatory milestone that took place earlier this year, when, in March, China's National Medical Products Administration had given the green light to NEO for commercial usage. This made it the first-ever brain-computer interface to get a commercial nod, which is classified as a Class III medical device, Chinese authorities claim. This approval was a stepping stone for this technology, as it could now move further to commercial application beyond just clinical trials and can be used in medical treatments in hospitals for patients.
How is NEO Different From Neuralink
Neuralink is currently only in its clinical trial phase, with brain implants being carried out in the US. It has a similar technology, and its first product was Telepathy, which essentially lets people with paralysis gain control over smartphones and computers or any other such physical device using only their thoughts.
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Even though the brain implants have been successful, they remain a part of a clinical trial only for now. NEO, on the other hand, has gone commercial in China with real-life application now recorded. It can now essentially be used in hospitals to treat patients. Neuralink is still lagging in this and needs to clear its clinical trial phase and get approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).
The approaches to the function of both devices also have different approaches; Neuralink uses ultra-thin threads that are placed directly inside the tissue using a surgical robot. NEO, on the other hand, is placed on the surface to interpret those signals without penetrating the sensitive brain tissue, which also makes it less invasive in nature than its counterpart, Neuralink.