Ole Lehmann@itsolelehmann
i don't think people realize what just happened with brain implants in china
for the first time in history, a brain implant has been approved for commercial sale. you can actually buy one.
it's called neo. costs around $15,000.
the question everyone asks first: does it actually work?
here's what the implant does.
a coin-sized chip gets placed on the surface of the brain, right over the area that controls movement.
when a paralyzed patient imagines moving their hand, the chip reads that signal, sends it to a computer, and the computer drives a mechanical glove that moves for them
picking up objects, gripping utensils, handling daily tasks.
all from thought alone.
the whole surgery takes an hour and 40 minutes.
surgeons thin the skull, open a small window, and place two electrodes directly on the surface of the brain.
then they close it up, patients go home within a week.
32 patients with spinal cord injuries were implanted in a clinical trial led by huashan hospital
> ALL 32 regained the ability to grab objects through the glove.
> 100% improvement rate.
> zero adverse side effects.
no other brain implant company on earth has received approval to sell their device commercially.
elon's neuralink is still in clinical trials.
side effects from their more invasive approach have stalled any path to regulatory clearance.
china is the only country where you can buy a brain implant right now.
this is by design.
months before the approval, china published a national policy document with 17 steps to dominate the brain implant industry within 5 years.
they want brain-reading devices to be as common as hearing aids. headbands, visors, earpieces that pick up brain signals...
all mass-produced for consumers.
and the government is coordinating the whole thing.
funding the research, building the manufacturing, clearing the regulatory path, all at once.
the West is moving painfully slow in comparison...still running controlled trials one patient group at a time.
china already has a commercial product, a 72-year-old moving his leg on state television, and a national playbook to own the entire category.
