Jinan-based company pioneers future tech with mind-controlled devices
In a remarkable leap towards future industries, Shandong Zhongke Advanced Technology Co, based in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province, has developed a cutting-edge brain-computer interface (BCI) system that allows users to control devices with their thoughts.
Researchers at the company wearing brainwave collection caps, using only their thoughts, can make drones take off and flip, type on computer screens, and even make exoskeletons walk. These once-fantastical scenarios are gradually becoming a reality thanks to BCI technology.
Li Weimin, the company's general manager, emphasized the vast potential of BCI technology, saying that such technology can be used in medical rehabilitation. For instance, disabled individuals can use mind control to operate exoskeletons for autonomous walking and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can type with their thoughts to communicate with others.
He added, "BCI technology has demonstrated extensive application potential and a new vision for the future, promising significant changes in people's lives."
To date, the company's BCI products have been successfully used at over 20 clinical and research institutions, including the Chinese PLA General Hospital, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen University, and Jining Medical University, providing robust support for scientific research and disease diagnostics.
BCI represents the convergence between life sciences and information technology. In Shandong's "Implementation Plan for Scientific and Technological Innovation Leading Future Industry to Cultivate and Develop New Quality Productive Forces," BCI technology is identified as a key aspect of future development.
Researchers test the BCI equipment. [Photo by Liang Mingxing/Xinhaunghe App]