The Chinese regulator NMPA (National Medical Products Administration) has officially certified and launched the NEO implant into mass production. This device is designed to restore mobility for people with spinal cord injuries and offers a fundamentally different approach to neural interfaces compared to Western counterparts.

The Problem of Invasiveness: Why Neuralink is Lagging

The main challenge faced by the highly publicized Neuralink neurochip from Elon Musk's biostartup lies in the extreme invasiveness of the method. To install the device, patients must undergo drilling of a hole in the skull and the insertion of microscopic electrode threads directly into the gray matter of the brain.

Such a procedure carries serious risks: tissue rejection, hemorrhage, and infection. These factors significantly slow down the approval process for the technology for widespread use.

NEO Technology: Safety Through Non-Invasiveness

The Chinese company Neuracle has chosen a different path. Their NEO chip is installed on the dura mater — the outer protective membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The device does not penetrate tissues but is carefully secured over them.

The system works as follows:

  • Eight highly sensitive sensors read neural signals from the cerebral cortex without direct contact with the cells.
  • The implant transmits commands via wireless communication to a specialized robotic glove or exosuit.
  • The patient gains the ability to control paralyzed limbs through thought using external robotic software.

Accessibility for All: A Victory for State Medicine

A significant victory for China is that the NMPA not only approved the NEO chip but also instantly added it to the national universal health insurance program with co-payment options. This means that advanced paralysis treatment technology is being integrated directly into the healthcare system and will be available to all who wish, not just the wealthy.

Competitive Race in the USA

At the same time, in the USA, Musk's position is being actively challenged by other strong players in brain-computer interfaces (BCI):

  • Paradomics: is successfully testing a high-bandwidth speech interface designed to restore speech to people with severe neurological disorders.
  • Synchron: has developed the Stentrode device, which is introduced via a blood vessel and does not require surgical opening of the skull at all. This guarantees rapid passage of regulatory tests.
  • Blackrock Neurotech: has been working based on developments from the University of Utah since 2008 and has already taught patients to confidently control computer cursors and limb prosthetics remotely.

Against the backdrop of competitors' successes, Neuralink continues to stall in the rigid bureaucratic labyrinths of the USA. To somehow accelerate the approval process for human clinical trials, Elon Musk was even forced to officially hire a team of federal lobbyists.

Conclusion of the Technological Race

The market clearly demonstrates that in the BCI technological race, the winner is not the one who promises a fantastic merger of man with artificial intelligence, but the one who creates a safe, certified, and hospital-accessible product.