"Guangdong-Made" Brain-Computer Interface Creates Real-Time "GPS Map" of the Brain for Precision Neurosurgery

Reporter Zhang Hua from Yangcheng Evening News全媒体

At the beginning of 2026, "large-scale mass production of brain-computer interfaces" and "capital influx" became the industry keywords in this cutting-edge field. Amid the global technological race, implantable brain-computer interfaces are regarded as one of the ultimate hopes for solving numerous incurable neurological disorders due to their potential to directly read brain signals.

How far has China's brain-computer interface progressed? Where will it go in the future? Recently, reporters visited WE-LINKING (Shenzhen) Medical Technology Co., Ltd. From the practices of this company, one can clearly see the path of China’s brain-computer interface industry evolving from "functional" to "user-friendly."

"The functional areas of the brain are intertwined with lesions. If the resection area is expanded, the patient may experience aphasia and hemiplegia after surgery," explained a neurosurgery expert, highlighting the long-standing dilemma in brain surgeries. Meanwhile, WE-LINKING is working on creating a 'real-time dynamic GPS map' of the brain’s interior to assist doctors.

"Our brain-computer interface function decoding system can receive patients' electroencephalographic signals in real time during surgery, and quickly decode them into functional maps through AI algorithms," introduced Professor Li Xiao Jian, founder and chief engineer of WE-LINKING. When patients are awakened during surgery and follow instructions to move, the system can instantly locate and mark language areas and motor areas, clearly distinguishing between 'resectable lesions' and 'essential functional areas.'

This "intraoperative brain function navigation" technology is bringing brain surgery from the "era of vague experience" into the "era of precise navigation." Its core product, only half the size of a mobile phone, integrates a self-developed high-density flexible cortical electrode array and a dedicated decoding chip. The number of channels is twice that of similar products from Medtronic, an international giant, yet its volume is significantly reduced. Li Jianfu, director of WE-LINKING, proudly said, "It allows advanced functional area monitoring surgeries to be accessible at grassroots hospitals because it can intuitively alert doctors during surgery: 'Cutting here will cause disability, please detour.'"

Globally, there are only a few companies capable of developing fully implantable brain-computer interfaces, and WE-LINKING is one of them. When discussing the secret to their breakthrough, Li Jianfu emphasized two key terms: "efficiency" and "full industry chain."

"Shenzhen's advantage is China's advantage; our efficiency is extremely high," he said. Many manufacturers, both in China and abroad, need to separately purchase electrodes, customize foreign chips, and then assemble them, which leads to long cycles and difficult collaboration. However, WE-LINKING, relying on China’s complete supply chain, has achieved full-chain self-development from high-density flexible electrodes, neural-dedicated chips to decoding algorithms. "We are the only company in the world capable of achieving a fully independent supply chain without relying on external parties."

Autonomy brings extremely fast clinical response speed. When partner hospitals request customized electrodes for special diseases, WE-LINKING can complete the design and production within 15 days and deliver them.

Despite the rapid progress in brain-computer interfaces, Li Xiaojiang remains clear-headed and cautious about the industry's outlook. He compares the current stage of brain-computer interface development to the "brick phone era" — just taking the first step of being "usable," far from the widespread "user-friendly" stage. "An active Class III medical device (a device that relies on electrical energy or other power sources, is implanted in the human body, supports or sustains life, or is classified as the highest risk level due to stringent safety and efficacy requirements) may take up to a decade to move from clinical validation to establishing itself in the market."

Reporters also saw the development roadmap provided by WE-LINKING on its official website: achieving the application of a fully implantable wireless brain-computer interface system in patients with motor and speech disorders by 2026; expanding the indications to mental health disorders and other major brain disease areas by 2030. Focusing on the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Li Jianfu stated that the company's primary goal is to solve the "brain protection" issue, minimizing surgical disability as much as possible; secondly, overcoming the alternative communication challenges for "motor and language" disorders. The reason for choosing these two directions is that their physiological mechanisms are relatively clear, and the technical pathways are more defined.

Editor: Zheng Jianlong