Neuracle Medical Technology’s invasive brain-computer interface given the green light in China for people with partial spinal cord injuries
By Lewis asked. edited by Claire Cameron
Juan Gaertner/Scientific Photo Library/Getty Images
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In a world first, China has approved a brain implant intended for commercial use in people with spinal cord injuries.
The device is a type of brain-computer interface (BCI) and is made by Shanghai-based Neuracle Medical Technology, a potential rival to Elon Musk’s BCI startup. Neural link. Brain implants have been used in clinical trials for decades, but this is the first time such a device has been approved for widespread use in patients.
BCIs, sometimes called brain-machine interfaces, are devices that record brain activity. Invasive BCIs like Neuracle’s are surgically implanted in or on the brain. There, they record the electrical signals from the neurons. Software then “decodes” these signals, which can then be used to control a computer cursor or prosthesis, for example.
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The Neuracle BCI consists of a wireless implant the size of a coin which sits on the surface of the brain’s outer membrane and controls a robotic glove. It is designed specifically for people with spinal cord injuries, but is only approved for people who still have some function in their upper arm. BCIs in general are typically developed for use by people with paralysis or other disabilities. Neuralink’s Musk has talked about one day making them accessible to people without health problems, but that app is further away.
One of the first (and still one of the main) BCIs was created in the early 2000s by a research consortium called Brain holder. The device allows study participants with locked-in syndrome, which involves total paralysis caused by stroke or injury, to control a computer mouse and type on a virtual keyboard. Since then, other research groups have developed devices capable of achieving similar feats.
In the United States, Musk’s Neuralink has come closest to commercializing the technology, but questions remain about the device’s security. In 2022, the The Food and Drug Administration initially rejected an offer for Neuralink to test its technology in a clinical trial. A trial was finally approved the following year, and then Noland Arbaugh, 30, paralyzed below the neck, became the first user to have a Neuralink implant. In January 2026, the company said it had 21 participants registered for his test.
Other US start-ups, such as Synchron and Paradromics, are developing their own BCIs and also have ongoing trials.
But even though there is compelling evidence from these clinical tests, the devices are still considered experimental. After all, installing brain implants requires brain surgery, which is highly invasive and carries a risk of infection and complications. And implants can sometimes move or cause scar tissue to build up over time, which degrades their signals. No BCI devices have been approved for commercial use in the United States
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