China performs first commercial implant of an approved brain-computer interface
Shanghai's Huashan Hospital implanted Neuracle's NEO, the first invasive BCI cleared for sale anywhere, in a man with tetraplegia.
Neurosurgeons at Huashan Hospital in Shanghai have performed the first commercial implantation of an invasive brain-computer interface: a procedure done as paid medical care rather than in a clinical trial. The device is NEO, made by Chinese company Neuracle.
The approval
China’s National Medical Products Administration approved NEO in March 2026, making China the first country to clear an implanted BCI for medical use outside trials. The approval followed a multicenter trial with 36 participants.
The device and patient
NEO’s electrodes sit on the outside of the dura, the membrane covering the brain, so they don’t penetrate brain tissue. It uses only eight physical electrode channels and is powered wirelessly. It is approved for adults with tetraplegia from cervical spinal cord injury and decodes attempted hand movements to drive a pneumatic glove, restoring a basic grasp.
The first commercial patient is a man injured in a car accident about ten years ago. Reports put the total cost of device, surgery and rehabilitation at roughly RMB 300,000–500,000 (about US$41,000–69,000).
Why it matters
US companies lead in electrode count and performance, but China is first to sell an implanted BCI. NEO’s capabilities are modest, a single grasp function, yet its path through approval, pricing and insurance offers an early model for how BCIs become routine care.
Learn more: ECoG · Invasive vs. non-invasive BCIs · Clinical trial pathway