Two Shanghai-Based Brain-Computer Interface Firms Announce Breakthroughs Challenging Musk's Neuralink

(Source: Shanghai Observer)

Today, two brain-computer interface companies in Shanghai announced their research progress: the "Implantable Wireless Brain-Computer Interface System" developed by StairMed has entered the review process of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).Innovative HealthcareStairMed's device has entered the special review process, becoming the first invasive brain-computer interface product in China to enter the "green channel." Xu Kailiang, founder of StairMed and researcher at Fudan University, presented the progress of his team’s development of an "ultrasound brain-computer interface" at the finals of the 2025 "Innovate in Shanghai" International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. "The invasive brain-computer interface solution for analyzing neurons proposed by Musk has shortcomings. Our technology is expected to overcome these shortcomings and achieve high spatiotemporal resolution whole-brain function analysis," Xu Kailiang told the judges.

Brain-computer interface is one of the future industries that China focuses on developing. It realizes information interaction between the brain and external devices through neuroengineering means and has broad application prospects in the fields of medical treatment, health care, and education. In 2016, Musk founded Neuralink, which made brain-computer interface a globally watched innovative track. Neuralink adopts the technical solution of implanting electrodes into the brain to collect neural electrical signals. Its advantage is the ability to collect high-quality single-neuron signals, but the safety risks are relatively high, and the surgery may lead to consequences such as immune scarring and rejection reactions.

How to Reduce Safety Risks? StairMed Invented Ultra-Flexible Electrodes with a Diameter of Only 1/100 of a Hair Strand, and Their Softness is Hundreds of Times That of Neuralink Products. After These Electrodes Produced in China Are Implanted in the Brain, Brain Tissue Can Hardly "Feel" the Invasion of the Electrodes, Significantly Reducing the Risk of Tissue Damage and Immune Reactions.

Brain-Controlled Implants Developed by StairMed.

Currently, StairMed is collaborating with Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University on a prospective clinical trial. "Based on the current trial results, this brain-computer interface achievement has preliminarily realized motor control functions, helping patients rebuild some self-care abilities," said Dr. Wu Jinsong, Chief Physician of the Neurosurgery Department at Huashan Hospital.

Li Xue, founder of StairMed and researcher at the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that after entering the "green channel" of the National Medical Products Administration, the company will accelerate the registration application and subsequent clinical research process, continuously promote the safety verification and large-scale application of its products, allowing brain-computer interface technology to be more widely applied in areas such as motor language function replacement, neurological disease treatment, and sensory repair.

At the prospective clinical trial site, StairMed successfully captured high-quality single-neuron signals.

If StairMed has optimized Musk's brain-computer interface solution through independent innovation, then BodaMed is taking a different approach, with the potential to revolutionize Musk’s solution using ultrafast ultrasound technology.

Xu Kailiang introduced that ultrafast ultrasound is an emerging ultrasound technology with pulse durations as short as nanoseconds (10⁻⁹ seconds) or picoseconds (10⁻¹² seconds). This significantly improves imaging sensitivity compared to traditional ultrasound, with frame rates reaching up to ten thousand frames per second. Applying this technology to cerebral blood flow detection allows capturing the transient characteristics of blood flow in the human brain and spinal cord. The imaging temporal resolution reaches the millisecond level, and the spatial resolution achieves less than 10 micrometers.

Currently, StairMed has developed an ultrasound cerebral blood flow imaging system for use in scientific research and clinical fields. At the neurosurgery department of Huashan Hospital, this product has been used for intraoperative examinations, achieving excellent clinical results. Building on this, the company is now developing an "ultrasound brain-computer interface" product, aiming to achieve whole-brain function analysis through high spatiotemporal resolution cerebral blood flow imaging.

In Xu Kailiang's view, Neuralink's technical solution has shortcomings: "The human brain has approximately 86 billion neurons. Musk plans to increase the number of channels in the brain-computer interface implant year by year, breaking 25,000 by 2028, but no matter how many channels are added, it is still a drop in the ocean compared to the number of neurons in the human brain." This means that although invasive brain-computer interface technology can acquire high-quality single-neuron signals, it misses far more than it captures, making it far from capable of decoding whole-brain information.

The imaging range of the "ultrasound brain-computer interface" covers the entire brain. Through hemodynamic imaging of the whole-brain microvascular network, it can serve as a bridge connecting microscopic single neurons with macroscopic brain functional networks. As a form of mechanical vibration, ultrasound is open and compatible, and in the future, it is expected to be combined with other technologies to build a closed-loop brain-computer interface for analyzing and modulating the brain.

Researcher Xu Kailiang works in the Fudan University laboratory.

Safety is also an advantage of the "ultrasound brain-computer interface." Unlike EEG signal acquisition, which is susceptible to interference, the placement of ultrasound probes outside the skull does not affect their resolution. StairMed plans to conduct clinical trials in two phases after miniaturizing the device: first, through minimally invasive surgery, placing the ultrasound probe outside the dura mater of the brain; after further technological iteration, placing the probe outside the skull to achieve truly non-invasive brain-computer interface detection.

"We hope to attract more investment through the competition and push the 'ultrasound brain-computer interface' technology into clinical application as soon as possible," Xu Kailiang told the reporter. From November 12 to 14, the finals of the 2025 "Innovate·In China" International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition were held in Caohejing. This year, 7,380 participating projects were selected through multiple rounds, with 50 high-quality projects ultimately advancing to the finals, covering cutting-edge fields such as next-generation information technology, biomedicine, high-end equipment, and new materials. The competition aims to discover and nurture hard-tech startups, helping Shanghai become the preferred destination for global tech startups.

Original Title: "Two Brain-Computer Interface Companies in Shanghai Release Good News, Challenging Musk's Company Technology and Strategic Route"

Column Editor: Huang Haihua

Source: Author: Liberation Daily, Yu Taoran