China could see brain-computer interface (BCI) technology move into practical public use within three to five years as products mature, a leading BCI expert said, as Beijing races to catch up with US startups including Elon Musk's Neuralink.
Beijing elevated BCIs to a core future strategic industry in its new five-year plan released this week, placing it alongside sectors such as quantum, embodied AI, 6G and nuclear fusion.
"New policies will not change things overnight. I think after another three to five years, we will gradually see some (BCI) products moving towards actual practical service for the public," said Yao Dezhong, Director of the Sichuan Institute of Brain Science, in an interview on Saturday on the sidelines of China's annual parliament meetings in Beijing.
TRIALS
A national BCI development strategy released last year aims for major technical breakthroughs by 2027 and for China to cultivate two or three world-class firms by 2030.
China is the second country to launch invasive BCI human trials. More than 10 trials are active, matching the US, while scientists plan to enroll more than 50 patients nationwide this year.
Recent high-profile trials have enabled paralyzed patients and amputees to regain partial mobility and operate robotic hands or intelligent wheelchairs.
The government has already integrated some BCI treatments into national medical insurance in a few pilot provinces, and the domestic market is projected to reach 5.58 billion yuan ($809 million) by 2027, according to CCID Consulting.
"China has many advantages in BCIs, such as its huge population, enormous patient demand, cost-effective industrial chain and abundant pool of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) talent," said Yao, who also leads a key neuroinformatics research center under China's science and technology ministry.
Policies such as insurance integration and national standards aim to close the "huge" gap between scientific research, industry and clinical applications, he said.
"The path from experimental to clinical trials is quite long, and this remains a problem," he told Reuters, adding that many Chinese hospitals have established BCI research labs to speed up the process.
While US startups like Neuralink focus on invasive chips that penetrate brain tissue, Chinese researchers are developing invasive, semi-invasive and non-invasive BCIs with wider potential clinical use.
Semi-invasive BCIs, placed on the brain's surface, may lose some signal quality but reduce risks such as tissue damage and other post-surgery complications. Neuralink's surgical robot can insert hundreds of electrodes into the brain in minutes.
"This is a technical advantage, which I think is remarkable," said Yao, of Neuralink.
"(But) China is actually making very fast progress in this area now. In fact, Musk's direction is basically achievable domestically."
