SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Brain-Machine Interface System Unveiled at?Zhongguancun Forum

The NeuCyber Array BMI System， a self-developed brain-machineinterface （BMI） system from China， was unveiled at the opening ceremonyof the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum （ZGC Forum） on April 25 inBeijing.

At the forum， a video demonstration revealed a remarkable feat：a monkey， with its hands restrained and soft electrode filamentsimplanted in its brain， grasped a strawberry with an isolated roboticarm that was controlled by simply using its "thoughts."

The NeuCyber Array BMI System fills the gap in high-performanceinvasive brain-machine interface technology in China， said LuoMinmin， director of the Chinese Institute for Brain Research， Beijing，which co-developed the system with NeuCyber NeuroTech （Beijing）Co.， Ltd.

According to Luo， the BMI serves as an "information highway" forthe brain， facilitating communication with external devices and providingcutting-edge technologies in human-machine interaction andhybrid intelligence.

"In short， the technology captures the subtle changes of electricalsignals from neurons and decodes the brain's intentions， to realize'thoughts' control 'actions'，" he said.

The NeuCyber Array BMI System is composed of three majorcomponents – high-throughput flexible microelectrode array， athousand-channel high-speed neural signal acquisition system， anda generative neural decoding algorithm based on a feed forwardcontrol mechanism.

The electrodes determine the quality of the recorded brain signalsand the accuracy of "brain control，" said Li Yuan， business developmentdirector of NeuCyber NeuroTech （Beijing） Co.， Ltd. The NeuCyberArray BMI System makes use of a large number of electrode contactson a thin electrode thread to enhance signal capture ability.

The electrode filaments made of flexible materials need to beviewed under a microscope， said Li. The material， which boasts highbiocompatibility and no cytotoxicity， fits well with brain tissue.

"Both its number of effective channels and long-term stabilityare up to the international state of the art，" Li said. "Different fromstiff electrodes， the flexible microelectrode array can still effectivelyrecord brain signals one year after being implemented in the brain ofmacaque monkeys."

The generative neural decoding algorithm based on the feedforward control mechanism of the system can establish an accuratemapping between neural activity in the cerebral cortex and motionparameters.

"The BMI system focuses on safety， stability， and effectiveness.It's a systematic project，" said Luo， adding that the invasive BMI hasgone through a long chain of development that involved multipletechnologies such as those of electrodes， chips， algorithms， software，and materials. There is still a long way to go in technologicalrefinement and iteration.

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