China's Brain-Computer Interface Technology Makes Major Breakthrough: Tsinghua Team Successfully Helps Paraplegic Patients Control Cursors with Their Minds

Recently, Prof. Jia Wang's team of neurosurgery at Beijing Tiantan Hospital of Capital Medical University and Prof. Hong Bo's team at Tsinghua University jointly announced that they hadbrain-computer interface technologyA major breakthrough has been made on the Using minimally invasive wireless brain-computer interface technology, they successfully helped a paraplegic patient realize the movement of a cursor on a computer screen by controlling it with his mind.

Brain-computer interface, a revolutionary technology in the field of neuroscience, realizes direct control of external devices by establishing a communication channel between the brain and the outside world, and converting the patient's "thoughts" into executable commands. This technology not only shows great potential in the field of brain disease rehabilitation, but also provides brand new possibilities in human-computer interaction.

It is reported that this patient lost his ability to take care of himself five years ago due to an accident that resulted in cervical C3-C4 segment paraplegia. After the minimally invasive wireless brain-computer interface NEO implantation surgery by Jia Wang's team, the patient was successfully discharged from the hospital on the 10th day after the surgery. After two months of careful rehabilitation training, the patient has not only realized the brain-computer interface movement assistance functions such as grasping a water bottle with a pneumatic glove driven by ideation activity, but is also able to control the movement of the cursor on the computer screen in an ordinary home environment by ideation alone.

together withMuskunder the banner ofNeuralinkUnlike brain-computer interfaces, the Tsinghua team's system places the electrodes outside the dura mater of the brain without damaging the neural tissue. At the same time, the system uses near-field wireless power supply and transmission of signals, eliminating the need for batteries in the body and providing a safer and more comfortable experience for patients.

Prof. Jia Wang said that the successful realization of this technology is expected to provide a new direction of rehabilitation for patients with neurological dysfunctions such as paraplegia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The next step in the rehabilitation program will be to train patients to control e-book page turning and cursor clicking for confirmation through imaginative activities to further enhance the interaction between patients and electronic devices.

This breakthrough not only demonstrates China's strong R&D strength in the field of brain-computer interface, but also brings new hope to patients with neurological dysfunction. With the continuous progress of the technology, it is believed that more patients will benefit from it in the future, recovering their physiological functions and returning to social life.