Brain-Computer Interfaces Poised to Unlock the Ultimate Form of Human-Machine Collaboration

The primary reasons for the current surge in brain-computer interfaces are as follows.

Recently, Elon Musk stated on social media that his brain-computer interface (BCI) company, Neuralink, will initiate mass production of BCI devices in 2026, while simultaneously advancing a highly streamlined, nearly fully automated surgical procedure. The most critical breakthrough lies in the device’s electrode threads penetrating directly through the dura mater without requiring its removal. This approach is expected to circumvent the traumatic bottlenecks associated with traditional invasive devices, while also achieving dual optimization of efficiency and cost through automated surgery. Meanwhile, MergeLabs, a BCI startup co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is spinning off into an independent company to focus on utilizing ultrasound for reading brain activity.

Brain-Computer Interface Technology Is Expected to Move Toward Commercialization in 2026, Expanding from Essential Medical Applications to AI and Robotics.

Based on actual usage data, the first cohort of Neuralink clinical trial participants used the brain-computer interface for an average of over 50 hours per week. As of September 2025, 12 individuals worldwide had received Neuralink implants, accumulating a total of 2,000 days of use and exceeding 15,000 hours of total usage; by the end of 2025, 20 individuals had participated in Neuralink clinical trials.

Participants demonstrated the ability to complete everyday digital tasks using only their thoughts, including playing video games, operating computers, and posting on social media.

Neuralink’s ultimate long-term goal is to develop a true “whole-brain interface.” A whole-brain interface refers to a system capable of receiving neuronal signals from all regions of the brain, writing information to arbitrary neurons, enabling rapid wireless data transmission, establishing high-bandwidth connections between the brain and external devices, and being implemented through fully automated surgery.

I believe that surgical robots empower the mass production of brain-computer interfaces, while brain-computer interfaces define a new paradigm for human-robot interaction.

(1) Technical Support: Neuralink relies on surgical robots to achieve safe and efficient implantation

At the Summer 2025 Update Conference, the Neuralink team unveiled the next-generation surgical robot, Rev10. In terms of surgical efficiency, the insertion rate was improved from 17 seconds per needle to 1.5 seconds per needle, optimizing the operational cycle time by a factor of 11. A faster implantation speed means shorter duration of craniotomy exposure, thereby significantly reducing the risk of infection and complications. The new-generation robot has extended the reach of the needles, ensuring compatibility with over 99% of the population, and has reduced the manufacturing cost of the needle cartridges by 95%.

(2) Application Scenarios: Executing complex tasks that patients are unable to perform via Neuralink brain-controlled robots

Currently, some clinical trial participants of Neuralink have progressed to physical device control, enabling them to manipulate robotic arms via brain signals to perform actions such as eating, drawing, and grasping objects. At Neuralink’s Summer 2025 Update Conference, Elon Musk explicitly stated that as the Neuralink brain-computer interface continues to advance, it will eventually enable full perception and control of Optimus robots, allowing users to remotely operate Optimus robots through thought alone.

(3) Long-term Vision: The Ultimate Form of Human-Machine Collaborative Integration

I believe that in the future, through the Neuralink brain-computer interface, Optimus is poised to serve as a humanoid platform, becoming the terminal for human-AI interaction and constructing the “ultimate form of synergistic integration between the human brain and robots.”

Brain-Computer Interface: A specialized communication system that enables direct information exchange between the brain and external devices, independent of the brain's normal output pathways.

The primary focus is on the interface, which enables the quantitative assessment of internal brain states or changes in intent from an external perspective. The implementation of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology mainly consists of three components: signal acquisition and processing, feature extraction and decoding, and quantification, conversion, and application.

The brain-computer interface (BCI) industry chain can be divided into upstream (electrodes and chips), midstream (signal acquisition, sensing, and analytical processing), and downstream (healthcare, consumer applications, industrial production, etc.).

Upstream SegmentIt primarily covers core components, among which electrodes and chips are key parts. Currently, multiple electrode technology routes coexist, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, and no unified standard has yet been established.

Midstream SegmentSystems, software, and platforms primarily involved in sensing and analyzing brain neural activity. The technical approaches for sensing brain neural activity mainly include four modalities: electrical, magnetic, optical, and ultrasound. Among these, technologies based on electrical methods for sensing and analyzing brain signals are relatively mature.

Downstream SegmentIts technologies and products primarily focus on specific application scenarios and can be categorized into different fields, including healthcare, consumer lifestyle, industrial production, and transportation and driving applications.

According to data, the global brain-computer interface (BCI) market size is projected to reach $2.94 billion in 2025 and grow to approximately $12.4 billion by 2034. If BCI technology can form a synergistic ecosystem with the humanoid robotics industry in the future, the market’s growth potential is expected to expand further.

The brain-computer interface (BCI) industry is in a phase of high-growth momentum, driven by multiple factors including technological breakthroughs, policy support, and anticipated synergy in the human-machine ecosystem. Catalyzed by recent expectations of scaled mass production and technological advancements from Neuralink, BCI-related stocks listed on China’s A-share market are also poised to benefit.

Disclaimer: The individual stocks or companies mentioned in this article are solely indicative of their relevance to the industry chain or market hotspots. All cited information, data, and viewpoints are presented as part of personal research records. References to specific stocks or companies are for case study purposes only and do not constitute any investment advice or recommendation to buy or sell.

Related Listed Companies:

【Sanbo Brain Hospital】Leader in invasive clinical applications;

[Chengyitong] The latest generation of non-invasive and invasive brain-computer interface technologies;

[Meihao Medical] Cochlear implants share material technologies with invasive brain-computer interface products;

[Innovative Medical] Neurorehabilitation Brain-Computer Interface;

[Keeson Technology] Sleep Medicine Brain-Computer Interface;

[Hanwei Technology] Flexible Brain-Computer Interface Materials;

[ZKTeco] Non-invasive brain-computer interface.

       Original Title: Brain-Computer Interfaces, Poised to Unlock the Ultimate Form of Human-Machine Collaboration