Experience of New Quality Productivity: The "Brain Computer Interface" Industry is poised to take off
Reporter from China Business Times: Sun Yonggang
By wearing a mental headband, the operator can perform mental manipulation on the drone. Shenzhen Chuangda Yunrui Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yunrui Intelligent") recently showcased its product - UDrone Mind Drone, which can achieve functions such as mind controlled drone flight, blink photography, face tracking, gesture photography, humanoid tracking, real-time image transmission, high-definition photography and indoor hovering. This type of drone has a wide range of application scenarios, which can be used for training concentration, limb coordination ability, education and training for children and adolescents, life and travel imaging, etc., attracting widespread attention to brain computer interface technology.
Brain computer interface technology refers to the creation of direct connections between human or animal brains and external devices, enabling information exchange between the brain and devices. Jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and four other departments《new industryIn the Implementation Plan for Standardized Navigation Engineering (2023-2035), the future industry focuses on nine major fields, including metaverse, brain computer interface, quantum information, and humanoid robots. The Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese path to modernization, which was reviewed and passed at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, clearly stated that "establishing a mechanism for future industrial investment growth" and "guiding the healthy and orderly development of emerging industries".
Mind control technology has formed an industrial chain
As a transformative human-computer interaction technology, the mechanism of brain computer interface is to bypass peripheral nerves and muscles, and directly establish a new communication and control channel between the brain and external devices. By capturing brain signals and converting them into electrical signals, information transmission and control are achieved.
According to Yunrui Intelligent's technical personnel, the UDrone ideation drone is a fusion of brain computer interface technology, somatosensory interaction technology, and image recognition technology, consisting of hardware UDrone drone, UMindLite ideation headset, and software UDrone APP. The main reason for achieving mind control is through the UMindLite mind headband, which contains six electrodes and is worn on the head. It mainly collects and processes EEG signals from the forehead and ears, quantifies EEG signals, and ultimately forms instructions to manipulate objects. The strength of EEG collected signals is directly displayed as the level of concentration, which affects the changes in the shape of the controlled object.
The reporter learned that the brain computer interface industry has formed a relatively complete industrial chain with EEG acquisition equipment production as the upstream, EEG acquisition platforms as the midstream, and medical, scientific research, education, entertainment and other institutions as the downstream.
At present, several domestic brain computer interface companies are using this technology to form teams, and the AI products developed and produced have shown a wide range of practical value in various scenarios. On October 22, 2023, at the opening ceremony of the 4th Asian Para Games, Xu Jialing, a Chinese swimmer who lost her left arm, wore BrainCo intelligent bionic hand produced by Zhejiang Qiangnao Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Qiangnao Technology") as the torch bearer, ran to the torch tower, manipulated the bionic hand with her mind (that is, obtained myoelectric and neuroelectric signals through sensors and made actions), and completed the ignition ceremony. Becoming the world's first brain computer interface intelligent replicant to ignite the flame at international sports events.
According to Han Bicheng, founder and CEO of QiangBrain Technology, intelligent bionic hands are fundamentally different from traditional mechanical prosthetics. The former is based on brain computer interface technology, using non-invasive bioelectric induction electrodes to collect subcutaneous electromyographic and neural signals from users, accurately identifying movement intentions, and enabling upper arm amputees to control the speed and position of each finger as if they were controlling their original hand, enabling them to complete various interactive postures.
High throughput neural signal acquisition is widely applicable
The aforementioned technology cannot be separated from high-throughput acquisition of neural signals. Shanghai Brain Tiger Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Brain Tiger Technology") is one of the enterprises engaged in the manufacturing of high-throughput neural signal acquisition systems.
Recently, the acquisition system developed by Brain Tiger Technology was unveiled. As an intelligent, shared, and long-term in vivo electrophysiological solution, this acquisition system includes flexible electrodes, scientific surgical robots, and high-throughput neural signal acquisition systems.
The current research direction of the company is focused on the long-term stable acquisition and intelligent analysis of neural signals, "said the head of the research department of Brain Tiger Technology." After the flexible electrode is successfully implanted into the target brain area through surgical robots, researchers face the problem of how to collect and process signals. In response to this problem, Brain Tiger Technology has launched its self-developed high-throughput neural signal acquisition system CereCube. To complement high-throughput flexible electrodes, CereCube can currently collect up to 2048 signal channels
It is reported that CereCube, a high-throughput neural signal acquisition system launched by BrainTiger Technology, consists of hardware and software components. The hardware equipment is designed according to the requirements of medical devices, effectively ensuring the safety of use, and has the ability to collect various signals such as Spike, LFP, ECoG, EEG, EMG, etc. The software part is MindExplorer, a neural signal recording and analysis software that integrates intelligence, automation, and sharing.
The CereCube system consists of a neural signal processor, a neural signal amplifier, neural signal recording and analysis software, a matching power adapter, and amplifier connection wires. The highest configuration is equipped with 8 amplifier interfaces, each capable of processing 256 channel signals. The optional models of neural signal amplifiers (headstages) include 256 channel recording headstages, 128 channel recording headstages, 64 channel recording headstages, and 16 channel recording/stimulation headstages. The neural signal processor and amplifier are connected through thin and flexible amplifier connection lines.
At present, the CereCube collection system is applicable to a wide range of experimental animals, including primates, mammals, amphibians, rodents, fish, and insects. It is also suitable for various research fields, including brain computer interfaces, disease and drug mechanism research, etc.
In the future, we will continue to improve the scientific research product matrix and provide more time-saving and convenient intelligent research tools for researchers. At the same time, we will accelerate the landing of medical BCI products to assist various fields of scientific research and healthcare. ”Tao Hu, founder and chief scientist of Brain Tiger Technology, said,
The industrial chain will be opened up.
The reporter learned that at present, domestic colleges and universities have carried out research and development in the field of brain-computer interface. In May of this year, Fudan University's Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center was officially approved for establishment, aiming to build an innovation in the development of brain-computer interface theory and technology.Power sourceTo create a seamless innovation chain for industry-university-research cooperation in the field of brain-computer interface.
Due to the long industrial chain of brain-computer interface, in order to make the upper, middle and lower reaches of the industrial chain smooth, R & D personnel have established a research and development process including electrodes, chips, data, algorithms, analysis software, biocompatible materials and other links to form a systematic project, so as to promote the development of brain-computer interface requires interdisciplinary, cross-field and cross-border exchanges, and establish a good ecological platform to promote technology integration.
According to data from IMARC Groupe, an international market research organization, the global brain-computer interface market will reach US $1.5 billion in 2021 and increase to US $1.74 billion in 2022. It is expected that the global brain-computer interface market will reach US $3.3 billion in 2027.
Source: China Business Times, 2024.07.31.
Editor in Chief: Chen Hongmiao
