A major Chinese brain-computer interface (BCI) initiative is gaining momentum, with plans to implant its Beinao No.1 brain chip in 13 patients by the end of this year, potentially surpassing U.S. rivals like Elon Musk’s Neuralink in human trial numbers and Jeff Bezos’s Synchron in pace.
Brain computer interfaces (BCIs), also called brain-machine interfaces, are chips implanted in brain tissue that take brain signals and translate them into commands. The signals are then relayed to a secondary, external device, which then carries out a specific function. At present, the main application is in the neuromuscular field, meaning paralysed patients can move muscles just by thoughts.
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Designed to address some of the most debilitating disorders – severe spinal cord injury, stroke, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – the goal of these trials is to develop a product that is safe, and scalable enough to treat a broad range of neurological conditions.
Neuralink has captured much of public interest around this technology last year, though the company has implanted just two paralysed patients with its device called Telepathy. With 3 implants done, Beinao joins Neuralink, while other players such as Synchron, Blackrock Neurotech, Paradromics, and Precision Neuroscience are further into their clinical journey.
The Chinese project, a collaboration between the state-backed NeuCyber NeuroTech and the Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR), has already implanted its semi-invasive wireless chip into three patients and has 10 more procedures scheduled for 2025, according to Luo Minmin, CIBR director and NeuCyber’s chief scientist.
“Next year, after securing regulatory approval, we will initiate formal clinical trials involving around 50 patients,” Luo said at the Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing, a major tech event where the project was showcased.
The rapid expansion of human trials signals China’s intent to close the gap with leading BCI developers. US firm Synchron, backed by Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, currently leads in trial numbers with 10 implanted patients, while Musk’s Neuralink has three and the Chinese reported three so far and plan to implant 13 more this year. Precision Neurosciences has closed an impressive $102 million investment round in December 2024 to accelerate its BCI project.
Unlike Neuralink’s fully implanted device, which maximizes signal quality but involves deep brain surgery, Beinao No.1 is semi-invasive, sitting on the brain’s surface. While this approach reduces the risk of brain damage, it also sacrifices some signal clarity. Some state-owned media videos have shown Beinao No.1 allowing paralyzed patients to control robotic arms and even transmit thoughts to a computer.
The breakthrough has triggered a flood of inquiries from individuals seeking the experimental treatment, Luo noted.
Beinao No.2 in works
CIBR and NeuCyber are not capping their trials with Beinao No.1 but developing a more advanced, fully implanted version—Beinao No.2—which is expected to undergo human trials within 12 to 18 months. The companies are actively seeking investors but emphasize that BCI development remains a long-term endeavor rather than an immediate commercial opportunity.
“In the short term, the market for BCI technology remains limited,” Luo said, highlighting the focus on medical applications for paralyzed patients rather than military or consumer uses. NeuCyber’s backing by the state-owned Zhongguancun Development Corporation, a company with over $1.24 billion in annual revenue, adds weight to the scale of China’s ambition in neuroscience and AI-driven healthcare.
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Luo also announced that Beinao-1 is the world’s first high-throughput wireless fully implanted chip and is an electroencephalogram-based BCI system, while the Beijing Institute is working on the Beinao-2 wireless chip, which adopts a different technical route from the first version, maximizing the signal quality. A monkey implanted with Beinao-2 was able to control a robot arm, Luo said, adding that the human trial will begin next year.
Awaiting regulatory approval, Beinao No.1 plans to enroll 50 patients for trials next after, intensifying the race among the BCI players — one that could soon set global benchmarks in patient trials and real-world applications.