Jingguan Headlines | Crazy scientist connects to brain-computer interface

(Image source: CFP)

Economic Observer Reporter Zhang Ling Wearing a hood covered with metal sheets and staring at the simulated keyboard, the letters the user wants to type appear on the screen one by one. This is what a reporter from the Economic Observer saw at the Zhongguancun Forum on May 29.

This technology is one of the hottest topics in the recent technology and medical fields: brain-computer interface.

Brain-computer interface, as the name suggests, is the interface between the brain and the computer. In science fiction movies, disabled people use robotic arms to play and sing, aphasic people speak, deaf people hear voices, and humans control huge machines with their thoughts... Now, technology is making science fiction a reality.

The team led by Professor Duan Feng of Nankai University completed the world's first interventional brain-computer interface experiment on non-human primates on May 4. This technology has been in line with international standards.

On May 25, Musk’s company Neu-ralink was approved to conduct human trials of brain-computer interfaces, which is regarded as a milestone in the commercialization of brain-computer interfaces. Musk’s hope is to use this technology to help restore vision and mobility to those who are visually impaired and have limited mobility.

Chinese scientist Duan Feng is jokingly called a "mad scientist" by his colleagues; Musk, the world's richest man, is regarded as "the craziest person" - this may be because humans still lack imagination for technology.

Scientists hope to overcome technical problems, and entrepreneurs hope to get consumers to accept new products. In the medical field and in helping the elderly, many brain-computer interface products have been launched. In a few years, people may wear AR glasses and use their minds to listen to music and shop. After a while, people who have been paralyzed for many years may be able to stand up again.

On May 29, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China announced that it will regard brain-computer interface as an important direction for cultivating future industrial development, strengthen the exploration of brain-computer interface application scenarios, and accelerate the development of the brain-computer interface industry.

On the same day, Gao Xiaorong, one of the earliest scholars in China to conduct brain-computer interface research and a tenured professor at Tsinghua University School of Medicine, told the Economic Observer reporter that brain-computer interfaces have entered a new era.

The popularity of China’s brain-computer interface concept sector continues to rise, attracting widespread attention in the industrial field. Many concept stock companies have issued stock price changes announcements. Several brain-computer interface concept stocks, including innovative medical and new intelligence cognition, have performed strongly and hit daily limits for five consecutive trading days. As of June 1st.

Is brain-computer interface technology safe? Can a "Superman" be created? Can you control the human brain? How to ensure spiritual freedom and fairness? On the road to exploring the human brain, these are all parts that cannot be avoided: ethics.

Mad Scientist

The apple he loves to eat is right on the opposite side, but the little monkey’s hands are tied. As the thought of "wanting to eat an apple" arises, a few seconds later, a robotic arm one or two meters away slowly moves and brings the apple to the mouth.

Besides, the monkey's owner, scientist Duan Feng, couldn't help shouting: "The apple is here!" The little monkey slowly opened its mouth and bit off a piece of apple, making a crisp chewing sound.

This is the scene in the video shot on May 4 after the world's first non-human primate (monkey) "interventional brain-computer interface trial" surgery.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital started the operation at 9:00 that morning after intramuscular anesthesia. Neurosurgeon Wu Dongdong held his breath and concentrated. He made a small incision in the monkey's neck, carefully passed the microguide wire through the thrombus, positioned it at the distal end of the thrombus, attached the interventional EEG sensor to the wall of the monkey's cerebral blood vessel, and then withdrew the microguide wire. Silk. Along the blood vessels, the sensor was sent to the sagittal sinus to collect and identify the monkey's EEG signals.

Inserting an intracranial stent through neurointervention is a very mature operation on humans. What is different this time is that scientists have attached an EEG signal collection device to the intracranial stent. The collected EEG signals will be decoded by external instruments to control the robotic arm.

More than two hours later, the operating room was silent and the operation was completed. The doctors and scientists were all sweating and their clothes were soaked. They carefully monitored the monkey, which had not yet worn off the anesthesia, and found that its heart rate and breathing were normal. Three or four hours later, the monkey woke up and used his mind to drive the robotic arm to eat the food.

Duan Feng began to study brain-computer interfaces more than ten years ago, and has successively studied the three global brain-computer interface technology routes: invasive, non-invasive, and interventional (the first two are more common). The invasive type requires drilling a hole in the skull and inserting the device directly into the brain; the non-invasive type involves covering the head with a net like a hat; the invasive type is somewhere in between, sending the device into the brain through blood vessels.

Duan Feng has used invasive brain-computer interfaces to control the behavior of mice, and also used non-invasive brain-computer interfaces to control wheelchairs and cars. In recent years, he has also invested in interventional brain-computer interface research.

He told the Economic Observer reporter that in addition to hibernation, brain-computer interface technology can also be used in education, military, outer space and other fields. Stroke patients can recover faster, people can learn without fatigue, and their memory can be modified. Copying or transplanting, humans can achieve hibernation...

He once used stimulation to lower the body temperature of rats to 24 degrees and successfully achieved hibernation. When this technology matures, it can also be used on humans, allowing astronauts to spend long and lonely spaceflight lives in sleep.

The technology is so advanced that Duan Feng is called a "mad scientist" by many colleagues.

Many scientists have had similar experiences. This sentence could be rewritten as: “People used to think I was engaging in pseudoscience because I insisted on using the word ‘crazy,’ which they thought was seen as going against materialism.”. Gao Xiaorong, a tenured professor at Tsinghua University School of Medicine, told the Economic Observer reporter.

He is one of the earliest scholars in China to conduct brain-computer interface research. In the 1990s, his research on personal computers began when the product came out, and his desire was to solve the problem of using personal computers for disabled people.

Even within the scientific community, few people accept his research. He was once kicked out of a program he was applying for.

Around 2000, because it was not understood by the public, when academic conferences were held in the field of brain-computer interface, an iron rule was agreed upon: reporters were not allowed to enter the brain-computer interface laboratory.

Now, Gao Xiaorong told reporters: "Welcome to the laboratory to experience it for yourself. His laboratory proves science by showing actual data, thus causing a change in the attitude of many colleagues in the academic world. Even if he is questioned, he does not have to explain , just invite people to come and watch.

Over the past 50 years, global brain-computer interface technology has evolved from a science fiction concept to practical industrial applications, experiencing a transformation from scratch to one to two. Gao Xiaorong hopes that all walks of life can work together to tackle key problems, overcome challenges, and in the next 50 years, promote brain-computer interfaces to realize the realization of two things, three things, and three things.

Zhao Jizong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and executive committee member of the World Federation of Neurosurgery, told the Economic Observer reporter that domestic brain-computer interfaces are developing rapidly. Although there is a certain gap between the most advanced international technology, it allows patients with ALS to complete typing and intravascular intervention. Technologies such as brain-computer interface have been in line with international standards.

The brain is mysterious and complex. If it is a 1-kilometer road, humans have only advanced 5 centimeters. Newton created the system of physics more than three hundred years ago, but brain science is still in the "pre-Newtonian era" and lacks rules to follow. Proceed with caution, as with cancer, even though humans know very little about it, various approaches will be tried. " said Liu Bing, chief scientist of Rouling Technology.

Musk hopes to use brain-computer interfaces to help the visually impaired regain their sight and allow people with mobility impairments to resume walking. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected its application for human trials several times due to safety concerns, but finally approved it on May 25, which cheered the industry.

Ma Yongjie, the attending physician at the Neurosurgery Department of Xuanwu Hospital, told a reporter from the Economic Observer that 3-5 years ago, people regarded Musk as a crazy person, but with the development of human trials, this technology can indeed be brought into reality.

Scientists can go crazy, but clinicians must be cautious. Ma Yongjie will help scientists check whether the application scenarios of the technology truly meet clinical needs, rather than being gimmicks, hot spots or concepts. A year ago, he collaborated with Duan Feng to place interventional stent electrodes on a sheep, which was China's first interventional brain-computer interface animal test.

Science fiction into reality

On May 29, at the "Brain-Computer Interface Innovation and Development Sub-forum" of the Zhongguancun Forum, Gao Xiaorong finished his speech on "50 Years of Brain-Computer Interface". When he came off the stage, he walked through a group of industry scientists, entrepreneurs, A "human wall" composed of doctors and investors.

The excitement is unprecedented. Gao Xiaorong lamented that after sitting on the "cold bench" for many years, the bench has finally become "hot".

In December 2022, Musk released a video showing an experiment in which monkeys controlled mouse and keyboard typing through thoughts. Because of his own star aura, humans quickly established their understanding of brain-computer interfaces. Entering 2023, brain-computer interfaces are booming. The academic community is intensively disclosing research progress, and the industry is busy with financing and industrialization. This year is also regarded by some practitioners as a "watershed year" for neurotechnology.

Looking forward, technology has already entered reality. Through a brain-computer interface, a paralyzed patient completed a mechanical exoskeleton controlled by his mind to kick off the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. In 2020, a team from Zhejiang University used a brain-computer interface to help a quadriplegic control an external robotic arm and hand to complete eating and shaking hands.

Ma Yongjie said that within 3-5 years, brain-computer interfaces will be able to send and receive text messages and make phone calls; in the future, they may carry consciousness, download memories and even emotions; in the military field, "super soldiers" can theoretically be created.

There are products already appearing, which are mainly used for medical treatment and helping the elderly. At the Zhongguancun Forum, companies such as Boricon, Huinao Technology, Rouling Technology, and Zhentai Intelligence displayed their latest products, including brain-controlled typing systems, brain-controlled rehabilitation equipment, auxiliary sleep brain-computer equipment, and safety devices that can monitor mental status. hat etc.

People in the medical field have the most expectations for brain-computer interfaces. Zhao Jizong said that as a doctor, he hopes that brain-computer interfaces can solve the pain of patients with disorders of consciousness, hemiplegia, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, depression and other diseases.

There are three types of relevant clinical trials:

First, for patients with impaired consciousness, the brain-computer interface is used to determine the degree of coma and the possibility of awakening. "This does no harm to the patient and has been clinically popularized in Tiantan Hospital."

The second is about spinal cord injury. Once paraplegic, the patient cannot move his limbs or both lower limbs. Now it has been successfully placed an electrical stimulator during the injury stage. The electrical stimulator sends a signal to help the patient resume walking.

"This has been applied clinically, and the spinal cord stimulator has been domestically produced. How to control it through the brain instead of the stimulator is the next research direction." Zhao Jizong mentioned that the country is expected to tackle this project this year or next year.

The third is in the field of signal collection. The anesthetized patient is kept awake during the operation to accurately collect signals and provide technical support for precise placement of brain-computer interface electrodes.

Gao Xiaorong believes that brain-computer interface will bring about human revolution and imagination. It is at the same level of importance as smartphones and ChatGPT, or even more important. This view was recognized by many interviewees.

Revolutionary progress in technology is always represented by "abolition of limbs". Abolish feet and have cars; abolish hands and have robots; abolish eyes and have artificial vision. "The brain is the only thing that cannot be destroyed. In the future, if humans want AI machines to be fully controllable, they must rely on brain-computer interface technology." Gao Xiaorong said.

Sun Yu, founder and CEO of Rouling Technology, said for example that AR glasses realized through neural interaction are about to be released. People can automatically shop and listen to music through the glasses without using their hands, achieving ubiquitous human-computer interaction.

Gao Xiaorong believes that humans need steering wheels, mice, and keyboards to communicate with machines. With the advancement of AI, they are not enough to meet the needs. Brain-computer interface is the communication technology that has revolutionary breakthroughs. At present, the performance of brain-computer interface is only half of that of touch screen, but in the next ten years it will exceed the speed of mobile phone touch screen and reach the ultimate form of human-computer interaction - human-computer integration.

Nuggets Industrialization

“The investment market has increasing confidence in brain-computer interface technology.” On May 29, Zhang Qian, deputy secretary-general of the Brain-Computer Interface Industry Alliance, mentioned that in recent years, the capital market has been optimistic about the development of neurotechnology represented by brain-computer interface. Prospects, related investment amounts and number of investments continue to increase, and the number of neuro-related start-ups under capital incubation is also increasing year by year.

Data from international market research organization IMARC Groupe shows that the global brain-computer interface market size will reach US$1.5 billion in 2021. It is expected that by 2027, the global brain-computer interface market size will reach US$3.3 billion, approximately 23.8 billion yuan. RMB.

Guosen Securities predicts that the market size related to brain-computer interfaces will reach US$70 billion to US$200 billion in 2030-2040. According to data, a total of 1,394 financing events related to brain-computer interfaces have occurred around the world, most of which were concentrated in seed rounds and Series A financing. As of April 2023.

At present, China has formed a full industry chain of brain-computer interface covering the basic layer, technical layer and application layer, and has been applied in medical, education, industry, entertainment and other fields.

In 2021, Musk announced that brain-computer interfaces are expected to help paralyzed patients restore full body functions. In the same year, the United States announced a ban on the export of some technologies, including brain-computer interfaces, to China. This caused many investment institutions to begin to pay attention to this track, including Dunhong Asset, which was focusing on the Yuanverse track at that time.

Zheng Hualiang, managing director of Dunhong Asset, said that they have talked with domestic brain-computer interface companies one after another and believe that invasive technology is the future direction, but it will be difficult to implement in the short term. He has communicated with many investors and feels that they are generally conservative and want to wait until the product is released before looking at it.

At that time, Naohu Technology, the most representative company of invasive brain-computer interfaces in China, directly told Zheng Hualiang: If you want us to have income within 5 years, there is no need to invest in us. After thinking for a long time, Dunhong Asset first invested in non-invasive technology with faster commercialization progress.

When starting a business, Sun Yu also chose the non-invasive method that can see results in a shorter time. Money, risk, and market are all practical issues that must be considered: "Musk doesn't have that many concerns. The brain-computer interface is more like a 'toy' for him." Sun Yu said.

Among the 23 monkeys participating in the chip implantation experiment of Neuralink, a company owned by Musk, 15 have died. Behind this are the safety risks and technical threshold problems faced by invasive brain-computer interfaces.

Gao Xiaorong said that for brain-computer interfaces to implant electrodes into the brain, three mountains need to be climbed. The first is physics. The world’s hardest silicon must be implanted into the softest tissue of the human body, the “brain.” It is like putting a needle on tofu. It must contact but not harm the tofu. The second is biocompatibility, which solves the problem of human immunity. Systemic rejection and risk of infection; the third is information, that is, how to interpret the massive information received in the brain. "I know that brain-computer interface represents the future, but why do you say it can make money?" Sun Yu often receives questions from investors. He believes that this is not only a problem for Rouling Technology, but also a problem for the entire industry.

Crazy scientists can sit on the bench, but entrepreneurs must go among the crowd and come up with a new business model.

Educating doctors, hospitals, partners, and consumers to dispel their concerns and believe that this is a product rather than science fiction is an important part of Sun Yu's work. He asked Dong Mingzhu a few days ago: "We are selling 'unknown products'. Can you share some strategies to help consumers accept new products?"

Another new problem that confuses many Nuggets is that the industry is rapidly changing from deserted to crowded. "There is an overheating problem." Gao Xiaorong said.

Haitian Intelligence, established in 2013, is the first Chinese company to industrialize brain-computer interfaces. Zhang Haiyan, chairman of Haitian Intelligence, told reporters that five years ago, when industrialization was first realized, people were doubting the authenticity of the technology, but now, many companies are imitating, copying, and using similar models to industrialize.

From the end of 2022 to the present, amidst the generally conservative attitude of investors, invasive brain-computer interface companies such as Brain Tiger Technology, Yinghe Brain Sciences, Boricon, and Ladder Medical have all received over 100 million yuan in financing, which has caused many industry insiders to Feel uplifted. Liu Bing found that after receiving financing, the intrusive track tended to focus on systems and motors, with little involvement in more core and critical aspects such as decoding.

In the midst of the confusion, people look up to the future. Many interviewees believe that giants like BAT in the Internet field will appear in the field of brain-computer interface in the future.

"This is entirely possible," Gao Xiaorong said. China has a high cognitive and research foundation in the field of brain-computer interface, and has formed a cross-competition situation with the United States.

Zhang Haiyan believes that with the deepening of aging, high frequency of strokes and younger people, the market for brain-computer interfaces in China's medical and health field will reach trillions. She leaked the news: her company had made a profit and was preparing to be listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board. She believes the company's market value will exceed 100 billion. ”

Only Xinwei Medical (06609.HK) is a listed company directly engaged in brain-computer interface research and development in China. Zhang Han, chief financial officer of Xinwei Medical, told the Economic Observer reporter that he participated in the early research in the hope of better and earlier understanding of the principles, pathways and mechanisms of brain-computer interface technology. As the feasibility and safety of the project are demonstrated, investment will There will be gains. At a certain stage, the company will communicate with relevant government agencies that support innovative technology to explore whether it is willing to fund the project. Funding and support from governments is vital.

Beyond "Crazy"

Can brain-computer interface replace human thinking?

Zhao Jizong told a reporter from the Economic Observer that in theory it is possible, but in practice it involves philosophical and legal issues.

Liu Bing believes that scientists must be "crazy" to have more cutting-edge ideas, but black technology is a double-edged sword, and technology must be in the hands of civilization.

Gu Xinyi, an assistant researcher at the National Information Research Center of Tsinghua University, said that in addition to safety, brain-computer interfaces also involve ethical issues such as brain control, mental freedom, and fairness.

“The use of brain-computer interfaces must be regulated,” Gao Xiaorong explained. Other technical tools such as steering wheels and mice are controlled by people while they are awake, but there are always periods when the brain is not awake, and in theory, brain-computer interfaces To improve the performance of normal people several times and turn them into "supermen" requires ethical standards.

Brain-computer interface technology has risen to national strategy. Previously, the "14th Five-Year Plan" included brain-computer technology as a key technology category that needs to be tackled for the first time. Three months ago, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology jointly launched the establishment of the Brain-Computer Interface Industry Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the "Alliance") with dozens of universities, scientific research institutions, and enterprises in related fields to regulate and guide the industry.

On May 29, the Alliance released the "Recommendation on Ethical Principles and Governance of Brain-Computer Interfaces", hoping to attract more entities to pay attention to brain-computer interfaces and participate in ethical co-governance.

Relevant support is being strengthened, and there are also worried voices in the industry. A scientist told an Economic Observer reporter, could this possibly limit the freedom to explore technology? Gao Xiaorong has no such worries. He believes that academic exploration should always be free, but industry must be planned and restricted.

Zhao Jizong regards the alliance as a bridge for communication between industry and technology, which will accelerate the development of brain-computer interfaces. He advocated that government departments should intervene to coordinate industry, academia, research and application, and promote the industrialization of technology in order to provide services to more patients.

Many scientists mentioned that brain-computer interfaces require long-term and stable investment. This process may not be able to pursue returns and can only be a national action, such as hiring academicians to lead research. An invasive brain-computer interface research team requires at least 10 people, including surgeons, animal trainers, material developers, algorithm developers, and system researchers. Almost only academician-level scientists can bring the team together, and it requires Very good flexibility and assessment mechanism.

It is also very important for the country to prepare a good talent reserve. At present, the main research efforts on brain-computer interfaces are in universities, and many companies are also extensions of universities and are not yet completely independent. As an industry with extremely high barriers, brain-computer interface involves computer information processing, neuroscience, biotechnology, materials science and other disciplines, and requires comprehensive talents.

The above is the detailed content of Jingguan Headlines | Crazy scientist connects to brain-computer interface. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!