On August 4, United States local time, technology tycoon Elon Musk said that his brain-computer interface company Neuralink had successfully implanted a device for a second patient, and paralyzed patients can control digital devices through their minds. Previously, the device had enabled the first person with a spinal injury to play video games with their minds, browse the internet, post on social media and move the cursor on their laptops.

Musk said that as part of the clinic, Neuralink will also perform implantation surgery for 8 patients this year, and with the addition of the two patients who have already been implanted, the number of clinical implant patients will reach 10 this year.

In a podcast interview over the weekend, Musk said yes when asked whether hundreds of millions of people around the world would have Neuralink brain-computer interface devices in the next few decades. However, there is still a large shortage of human subjects for brain-computer interfaces. Musk said this depends in part on the speed of regulatory approvals. "It's ten now, and it's going to be hundreds of millions later." He said.

Today's technology paths in the field of brain-computer interfaces are mainly divided into invasive and non-invasive, with the difference being whether electrodes are surgically implanted below the cerebral cortex. The path of implantation technology is fundamentally determined by the purpose of the brain-computer interface.

At the unveiling ceremony of the Center for Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface at Fudan University on August 3, researcher Wang Shouyan, deputy dean of the Institute of Brain-inspired Intelligence Science and Technology of Fudan University, said: "Neuralink is still in the 'brain reading' stage of brain-computer interface technology 1.0, that is, the collection and decoding of EEG signals, which is a commercial route and does not represent the most cutting-edge technology in the world. The technological development path of brain-computer interface cannot be compared with Musk. ”

He believes that "brain reading" faces the dilemma of few application paths, and is usually used as a rehabilitation assistive technology, while brain-computer interface technology 2.0 "brain writing" takes neuromodulation as the core and can be more widely used in clinical practice. These applications include deep brain stimulation surgery, which is implanted by more than 10,000 people in China every year; Cochlear implants and transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment services are conservatively estimated to be more than 10 million patients with depression in China every year.

The core scientific problem of brain-computer interface is the interaction between brain information and external devices and the environment. In recent years, the international community has gradually integrated "brain reading" and "brain writing", and has made initial breakthroughs in the fields of depression, pain, and epilepsy.

According to Fudan University, the most feasible research and application scenario of brain-computer interface is serious medical treatment. At the beginning of its establishment, the Center for Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface of Fudan University established three major directions: neuromodulation mechanism and theoretical research, brain-computer interaction neuromodulation technology research and development, and neuromodulation clinical translational research, fully integrating basic research, technical research and transformational application.

Wang Shouyan said that with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the integration of brain and intelligence, the integration of people and the intelligent environment will be the next key node, and its technological breakthrough point lies in the development of cognitive neuroscience and brain-like intelligence, which is by no means dependent on Neuralink's "brain-reading" business development route can be achieved.

He also described the development path of future brain-computer interfaces as the 3.0 "interaction stage", that is, the human brain and the machine interact, monitor brain signals in real time, and accurately regulate brain functions; and the 4.0 "brain-intelligence fusion" stage, which realizes the intelligent interaction between higher-level brain cognitive functions such as decision-making, emotion, and consciousness with machines and the environment at a level that goes beyond brain signals.

Last month, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology solicited public opinions on the "Preparatory Plan for the Standardization of Brain-Computer Interface Technical Committee" to promote the development of brain-computer interface technology. This move shows that the formulation of technical standards for brain-computer interfaces in China is expected to be accelerated.

Wang Shouyan said that this year, the brain-computer interface has entered a period of comprehensive and rapid development, and the establishment of a research center is the general trend. "This move gathers the interdisciplinary strength of medical science and engineering of Fudan University, and is an innovative power source for the development of brain-computer interface theory and technology, aiming to create a seamless innovation chain of industry-university-research cooperation in the field of brain-computer interface." He told the CBN reporter.

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