China’s BCI Breakthrough Turns Thoughts into Reality

China is making transformative strides in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, enabling direct communication between the human brain and external devices in what experts describe as a watershed moment for the nation’s ambitions in next-generation medical technology and human-machine interaction. The breakthrough, centered at the Tianjin-based Haihe Laboratory, opens new frontiers in medical rehabilitation, cognitive enhancement, and neural intensive care.

The Science Behind ‘Mind Control’

At the Haihe Laboratory’s demonstration area, a user wearing a lightweight EEG cap imagines clenching their right hand while following on-screen prompts. Almost instantly, a biomimetic robotic hand synchronously clenches its fist. This is not science fiction — it is the “Shengong-Shenji” brain-computer intelligent rehabilitation system in action.

“Hemiplegic patients cannot move their limbs, but as long as they can generate motor imagery, we can read the EEG signals and drive devices to help them reshape neural pathways and gradually restore motor function,” explained Gu Bin, General Manager of Tianjin Kaidi Xushi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., a company incubated by the Haihe Laboratory, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

The human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons. BCI technology acts as a cryptographic key, building an “information superhighway” between the brain and external devices, translating neural signals into machine-readable commands.

A Decade of Pioneering Research

The Haihe Laboratory team has been a pioneer in China’s BCI field since 2014, when they launched the “Shengong-1” system combining BCI with stroke rehabilitation. Officially inaugurated on March 27, 2023, in Tianjin’s Binhai High-Tech Zone, the laboratory now holds the world’s largest patent pool in the field, with nearly 300 domestic and international patents, and leads globally in three core technical indicators: EEG recognition accuracy, control command quantity, and information transmission rate.

According to Cover News, the laboratory has developed the world’s first BCI codec chip, “Brain Speaker” (脑语者), in collaboration with China Electronics Corporation, achieving self-reliance in core hardware. The lab also pioneered the “on-chip brain-computer interface” direction, releasing the world’s first interactive system connecting cultured biological “brains” with external machines.

The ‘Shengong’ Product Family: From Lab to Hospital Bed

The laboratory’s independently developed “Shengong” (神工) series of innovative medical products spans rehabilitation, hearing, mental health, and neural intensive care. These include:

• Shengong-Shenji: The world’s first “pure mind-controlled” artificial neural robot system, now approved with multiple medical device registrations across Chinese provinces
• Shengong-Shenjia: The world’s first neuromodulated mechanical exoskeleton, selected for the MIIT’s AI medical innovation task list
• Shengong-Lingxizhi: The world’s first wearable brain-controlled extra-limb finger robot
• Shengong-Shenxin: China’s first depression intelligent assessment robot
• Shengong-Shenghao: The world’s first neural intensive care hydrocephalus diagnostic system, reducing diagnosis time from 2-3 days to 30 minutes

“With the help of technology, we have seen many innovative breakthroughs that were difficult to discover before,” said Liu Xiuyun, Deputy Director of Haihe Laboratory. “Some patients receiving upper limb BCI rehabilitation training unexpectedly found significant improvement in lower limb function as well.”

The Shengong-Shen’er system, as Executive Deputy Director Ni Guangjian explained, can extract the brain’s discharge waveforms to directly read the brain’s response to sound, helping doctors fine-tune cochlear implants and hearing aids to optimal settings.

Historic Policy Breakthrough

In a landmark move, “brain-computer interface” was written into the Chinese government work report for the first time in March 2026, submitted for deliberation at the 14th National People’s Congress Fourth Session. It was also included in the “15th Five-Year Plan” (2026-2030) outline draft as a key area for forward-looking deployment, as Xinhua reported.

NDRC Director Zheng Shanjie stated that future industries represented by BCI are “gathering momentum,” with new scale over 10 years equivalent to rebuilding a high-tech industry of China’s current size. Science Minister Yin Hejun confirmed that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will accelerate major science projects in integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, and BCI.

Pan Jiaofeng, Director of the CAS Institutes of Science and Development, emphasized: “BCI is not just a cool tech concept, but a frontier technology integrating multiple disciplines — a key fulcrum for leveraging the future.”

Industrial Ecosystem Takes Shape

China now hosts over 200 BCI enterprises, with the 2025 market size expected to exceed 38 billion yuan. BCI rehabilitation equipment has been deployed across more than 10 provinces and dozens of hospitals nationwide. On March 30, 2026, the Tianjin BCI Industry Group Co., Ltd. was established with a registered capital of 1 billion yuan, as Jiemian News reported.

Nanjing’s Jiangbei New Area has released a BCI action plan targeting 30 enterprises and 15 billion yuan in output by 2035. The first national BCI comprehensive clinical trial ward was established in collaboration with Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, and the world’s first multi-center clinical trial for neural intensive care BCI was launched in August 2025.

Competitive Position and Outlook

In non-invasive BCI technology pathways, China has achieved parity with or even partial leadership over international peers, while the gap in invasive components is rapidly narrowing, according to Wang Changming, a researcher at Capital Medical University.

The year 2026 is widely regarded as the inflection point where future industries shift from strategic layout to concrete implementation. With policy support, industrial investment, and expanding clinical applications, China’s BCI sector appears poised for rapid growth — moving from the “bookshelf to the shelf,” from research papers to commercial products that serve patients.

Ming Dong, Vice President of Tianjin University and an NPC member, captured the ethos driving this transformation: “The industrial breakthrough of BCI can be used by and serve people.”

What to Watch For

As China accelerates its BCI ambitions, several developments bear watching: the full deployment timeline for the 100-billion-yuan BCI special fund, the expansion of insurance coverage for BCI-related treatments, and how China’s invasive BCI capabilities compare to global competitors like Neuralink. The establishment of international standards at ISO/IEC, where China is playing an increasingly active role, will also shape the competitive landscape in the years ahead.