(ECNS) -- A Chinese research team at Tsinghua University unveiled two cases of paralyzed patients recovering their motor skills through brain-computer interfaces (BCI) recently.
One of the patients, surnamed Yang, paralyzed in all four limbs for 14 years due to a car accident received the implant surgery in October 2023, marking the first wireless minimally invasive brain-computer interface surgery in China.
After training, Yang is now able to fetch a bottle to drink water by controlling an exoskeleton glove with brain waves and move the bottle to a designated place within 10 seconds.
Another 35-year-old paralyzed patient underwent surgery in December 2023 and can control cursor movements with his mind after two months rehabilitation.
The implantable device, called Neural Electronic Opportunity (NEO) is about the size of a coin and employs near-field wireless power supply and signal transmission, thus making the internal machine implanted in the skull battery-free, expert introduced.
Experts explained that brain-computer interfaces are divided into three categories: non-invasive, invasive and semi-invasive. The minimally invasive, wireless brain-machine interface project initiated by Tsinghua University will not damage brain tissue, averting inflammation, scarring and other adverse conditions.
The China Brain Project was launched in 2017, which includes the brain-computer project.
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