China unveils Brain-Computer Interface chip

China has achieved a breakthrough in Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) chip research, with its first BCI chip "Brain Talker" making its debut on Friday at the ongoing World Intelligence Congress held in northern China's Tianjin Municipality.

Competitors wearing headwears with sensors take part in a BCI (brain–computer interface) contest during the World Robot Conference (WRC) 2018 in Beijing, China, 15 August 2018. [File Photo: IC]

BCI is a system allowing a person to control a computer or other electronic device using his or her brainwaves, without requiring any movement or verbal instruction.

Brain Talker, specially designed for decoding brainwave information, may replace traditional computer devices used in BCI due to its more portable size, precision in decoding, high efficiency in computing and faster communication ability.

Ming Dong, director of the Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine in Tianjin University, said the chip can identify minor neuron information sent by the brain wave from the cerebral cortex, efficiently decode the information and greatly quicken the communication speed between the brain and machine.

"Brain Talker makes BCI technology more promising for civil use since the chip is more portable, wearable and simpler," Ming added.

Brain Talker was co-developed by Tianjin University and China Electronics Corporation with fully independent intellectual property rights.

Cheng Longlong, a data scientist from China Electronics Corporation, said scientists would endeavor to enhance the performance of the chip for wider use in the fields of medical treatment, education, home life and gaming in the future.