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Recently, United States entrepreneur Elon Musk revealed when participating in the recording of a podcast program that his brain-computer interface company Neuralink has successfully implanted his self-developed brain-computer interface device for the second human patient. According to Musk, the 400 electrodes inside the implant are currently working steadily, and everything is going well. Neuralink mentions on its website that its implant has 1,024 electrodes, which represents a huge leap in data transmission and processing capabilities. Musk further revealed that within this year, Neuralink plans to perform similar implant surgeries for 8 other patients.
Musk is confident in the future of brain-computer interface technology, and he believes that brain-computer interface transmission is much faster than human communication, Musk said: "In a few years, Neuralink will become very powerful, because we will greatly increase the number of electrodes and improve signal processing." So I think in the next few years, we're going to start beating world records by a lot, to 100 bits per second, 100 bits per second, maybe five years from now, we're going to reach 1 megabits per second, faster than anyone can communicate by typing or talking. ”
Musk pointed out that if AI operates at a rate of 1 megabit per second and a human can only respond at 1 bit per second, this gap can make communication difficult. "Unless we upgrade ourselves with technology like Neuralink, AI thinks so fast that communicating with AI can become as boring and inefficient as talking to a tree," he said. ”
When the moderator asked, do you think there will be hundreds of millions of people in the world who will use brain-computer interfaces? Musk replied, "Yes I think so, if it's very safe and you can have superhuman abilities, let's say you can upload your memories so you don't lose them." Then I think a lot of people might choose to have it, for example it will replace the phone. Earlier, Musk posted on social platforms that there will be no more mobile phones in the future, only Neuralink.
"We're going to be different beings, some kind of robots of the future. It's not that it's close at hand, but you ask me what the distant future is, and it's not very far away. It could be about 10 to 15 years." He also said: "Maybe in the next year or two, people who implant Neuralink will be able to outperform professional gamers." ”
The brain-computer interface industry is an emerging field that involves connecting the human brain with a computer or other external device for thought control and information transfer. The development of this technology has great potential for fields such as medicine, neuroscience research, and virtual reality.
On January 29 this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology and other seven departments jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Innovation and Development of Future Industries", which clearly stated that it is necessary to strengthen the research and development of brain-computer interfaces. The document focuses on the future industry, emphasizing the strengthening of the research and development of quantum computers, brain-computer interfaces, new displays and 6G network equipment, and points out the direction for the development of the brain-computer interface industry.
In 2021, the number of patent applications in the brain-computer interface industry in mainland China reached 1,896
At present, the mainland has a certain amount of technology accumulation in the field of brain-computer interface, and with the support of various national science and technology programs, the mainland has formed a number of internationally influential brain science research teams, which have the conditions to participate in international competition. For example, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China has taken the lead in the research of EEG theory and neuroimaging mechanism of non-invasive brain interface, and launched a brainwave music system that regulates brain state, a cerebral palsy rehabilitation system and an attentional function regulation system, opening up a number of unique new directions. In addition, in terms of invasive brain-computer interface, the brain-computer interface team of Zhejiang University cooperated with the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University to complete the first invasive interface surgery in China, opening up the domestic invasive interface market.
The mainland brain-computer interface industry started late, with a gap of 5-10 years with foreign countries, and the world's major scientific and technological powers have set up technical barriers in the field of brain-computer interface to restrict the export of technology. For example, the United States Department of Commerce issued the Export Control Reform Act in 2018, which prohibits the export of 14 technologies, including brain-computer interfaces, to the mainland. Despite this, the mainland brain-computer interface industry is accelerating the pace of catching up, and significant progress has been made with the efforts of major scientific research institutions and related enterprises. Judging from the patent data, the number of patents related to brain-computer interface in China continues to grow, and the growth rate of applications has accelerated significantly. In 2021, the number of patent applications in the brain-computer interface industry in mainland China reached 1,896, the peak in recent years.
Comparison of the business layout of enterprises in China's brain-computer interface industry
At present, most of the representative enterprises in mainland China focus on the R&D and production of non-invasive brain-computer interface products, and only a few companies such as Brain Tiger Technology and Boruikang Technology are conducting research on invasive brain-computer interface products. In the field of non-invasive brain-computer interface, companies such as Strong Brain Technology and Smart Brain Intelligence have launched relatively mature consumer-level products.
At present, the top ten brain computer interface companies in mainland China are as follows: (in no particular order)
Wang Shouyan, deputy dean of the Institute of Brain-inspired Intelligence Science and Technology and director of the Research Center for Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface at Fudan University, believes that the future vision of brain-computer interface is to connect human consciousness with the digital virtual world. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, he pointed out that digital twins and embodied intelligence will gradually become a reality, predicting the emergence of digital life with emotion, memory and decision-making capabilities. He believes that the integration of brain and intelligence and the integration of people and the intelligent environment will be the next key node, and its technological breakthrough lies in the development of cognitive neuroscience and brain-like intelligence. At the same time, he pointed out that this goal can never be achieved by relying on Neuralink's "brain-reading" business development route.
Zhang Lei, director of the Instrumentation Center of the Beijing Institute of Brain Science and Brain-like, pointed out that an important direction in the development of brain-computer interfaces is to improve the ability to migrate between different individuals, which is the so-called universal ability. Since everyone's brainwaves and thinking habits are different, even with electrode implantation, it is still necessary to improve the accuracy of the brain's intention recognition as much as possible through "personalized customization", repeated debugging, and conscious training. Therefore, reducing the need for these commissioning is a direction for future development. In addition, Zhang Lei also said that in addition to the field of sports, the international frontier is also exploring the application of brain-computer interface technology to the field of language and vision, because the positioning of brain regions in these fields is relatively clear.
Prospective Economist APP Information Group
For more research and analysis of this industry, please refer to the "Analysis Report on the Development Prospect Forecast and Investment Strategic Planning of China's Brain-Computer Interface Industry" by Qianzhan Industry Research Institute
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