appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Julie Zhang

China’s health regulators have granted approvals for a string of brain-technology products this year, as domestic start-ups push to transform the treatment of conditions ranging from paraplegia to Alzheimer’s and depression.
The approvals come as Beijing bids to lead the world in brain-computer interfaces – devices that allow patients to control digital devices using thought alone – offering generous policy support to help Chinese firms compete with overseas players such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink.
The sector in China has become increasingly competitive in recent years, with local governments across the country offering financing support and private investment surging as investors eye a spiralling need for novel health tech solutions in an era of rapid population ageing.
Among the brain tech products to win Chinese market approval recently is a system developed by a domestic firm named Tiankai Suishi (Tianjin) Intelligent Technology, which helps doctors assess whether a patient’s cognitive functions have been impaired.
The device is a cap studded with electrodes that fits over a patient’s scalp and can be used to read the electrical signals given off by the brain, according to an article posted to the company’s official WeChat feed. It was approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on August 19, official records show.
Tiankai Suishi also sells BCI devices that aid early diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction linked to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. It is currently seeking regulatory approval for a product to assist with diagnosing depression.
The company, founded in 2023, has registered capital of 10.67 million yuan (US$1.59 million), according to the corporate database Qichacha. It is led by Gu Bin, who completed a doctoral degree at Tianjin University’s medical school, according to Chinese media reports.
Another recent approval went to a micro-electrode driver developed by StairMed Technology – a start-up backed by Chinese tech giants Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding – which is used to help implant BCI devices during brain surgery. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
The approval, granted by the NMPA in June, marks a boost for StairMed’s push to develop a working BCI implant. The company was still trying out its implant, with 18 patients having received it so far, domestic media reported in July.
These trials had shown promise, with the implant allowing one paraplegic patient to communicate with customers on the Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com by using their thoughts to operate a digital device, said Zhao Zhengtuo, the company’s co-founder, during an event last month.
Shanghai-based start-up Neuracle Medical Technology, meanwhile, in March won China’s first regulatory approval for an implantable BCI device designed to help people with spinal cord injuries regain hand movement.
Another start-up, Hangzhou-based BrainCo, is developing BCI products to aid depression screening in partnership with a hospital affiliated to Beijing’s Capital Medical University, according to the company.
Local governments are ramping up support for the sector. Eastern China’s Zhejiang province has unveiled plans to encourage related firms to go public, while the southern tech hub of Shenzhen has pledged to help firms expand overseas and complete mergers and acquisitions.
China’s ageing population has fuelled a rise in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, with cases climbing from about 329 million in 1990 to about 468 million by 2021, according to a study published in the journal Med last year.
China’s BCI market is projected to reach 6.14 billion yuan by 2028, according to Xinhua.


China’s five-year plan for pharmaceuticals and biomedicine

Chinese AI chipmaker Hygon plots expansion from data centres to robotics

For China’s hi-tech IPOs, it’s Hong Kong vs the mainland – but how much does it matter?

China needs US-style immigration policy to win tech rivalry with Washington: expert

China technology

China approves string of ‘telepathy’ devices amid push to leapfrog Elon Musk

Domestically developed brain-computer interface products at China Sensor Valley in Bengbu, Anhui province, last month. Photo: Xinhua

An engineer wears a brain-computer interface head cap to pilot a humanoid robot at the Fourier Intelligence booth during last month’s World Robot Conference in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Asian healthcare deals heat up as investors bet big on brain tech and surgical robotics

An orthopedic surgical robot is displayed at the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing on August 20. Photo: Xinhua

US surgical robotics firm eyes Hong Kong listing to power push into mainland China

Noah Medical has begun preparations for a Hong Kong listing. Photo: Handout

China’s Akeso says cancer drug beat AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi in phase 3 trial

China’s biopharmaceutical firms are increasingly looking to compete directly on the global market. Photo: Shutterstock

China rushes to develop Moderna-style cancer vaccines amid market frenzy

Chinese biotechnology firms are working on more than 100 cancer vaccine programmes, according to analysts. Photo: Shutterstock

Business

Companies

News

China Future Tech

Biomedicine

China Business

Chinese regulators have approved a group of brain-technology products this year, as local start-ups push to surpass Musk’s Neuralink


Chinese regulators have approved a group of brain-technology products this year, as local start-ups push to surpass Musk’s Neuralink.


China approves string of ‘telepathy’ devices amid push to leapfrog Elon Musk

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese regulators have approved a group of brain-technology products this year, as local start-ups push to surpass Musk’s Neuralink

Chinese regulators have approved a group of brain-technology products this year, as local start-ups push to surpass Musk’s Neuralink