Brain implant unveiled in China allows a monkey to operate a robotic arm with its mind

A new brain implant presented in China has allowed a monkey to control a robotic arm “just with his thoughts” and manage to grab fruit with it.

This high-performance brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is based on a chip cerebral central, called Neucyber developed independently by Chinese scientists, the local newspaper Global Times reported in the last few hours.

The American company Neuralink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has already implanted the first brain chip in a human, the magnate said last January.

The Neucyber, created by the company Xinzhida Neurotechnology, is based on three components developed in the Asian country: high-capacity flexible microelectrodes, two high-speed neural signal acquisition devices and a generative neural decoding algorithm.

“BCI involves capturing subtle changes in the brain’s electrical signals, decoding brain intentions, and achieving control of ‘thoughts’ over ‘actions,’ allowing the control of machines without physical contact or,” explained the expert from the Chinese Institute of Brain Research Luo Minmin, quoted by the newspaper.

Implantable electrodes use flexible materials, greatly reducing damage to the brain and ensuring long-term stable signal acquisition.

According to Li, the flexible electrode has been stably implanted in the monkey’s skull for almost a year and can still collect high-quality signals.

The expert indicated that, in the future, these advances could offer new hope for paralyzed people to be able to touch and grasp things in the physical world.