BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- China is entering the race to develop brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, which enables communication between the brain and external devices by using thought alone.

The country has unveiled a roadmap to achieving breakthroughs in key technologies by 2027, and its complex strength should position it among global leaders in this field by 2030.

By then, China is expected to have built a safe and reliable industrial system, featuring two or three global leaders, backed by smaller firms with special, sophisticated technologies and novel, unique products.

China's maturity in medical scenarios and the certainty of its policies give it an edge in global competition, analysts say.

Notably, efforts underway in the country in this field have already delivered benefits to patients and their families.

At the Beijing-based Xuanwu Hospital under the Capital Medical University, a semi-invasive device has helped a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, to communicate.

The device features independently developed, flexible cortical electrodes, which are capable of collecting signals from 128 channels simultaneously -- placing them among the world's leading technologies of their kind.

Li Yuan, who works at the company that developed the device in collaboration with the Chinese Institute for Brain Research in Beijing, said the patient has been able, after surgery and training, to decode over 60 commonly used Chinese words and characters.

In southwest China's Sichuan Province, meanwhile, a medical team has successfully removed brain tumor tissue with the aid of BCI technology.

Glioma, one of the deadliest cancers, sends its cells creeping through brain neurons like the roots of a tree -- making conventional surgery perilous. The challenge lies in cutting away the tumor without harming brain functions.

During the operation, doctors placed a sheet of electrodes against the patient's brain tissue. The device captured neural signals in real time, allowing surgeons to distinguish the abnormal electrical activity of tumor cells from that of healthy neurons.

Once the boundary was clear, they swiftly and precisely removed the affected tissue. "It is like catching the electrical signals of tumor cells," said Yang Yuan, associate professor of the neurosurgery department at West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

With a history spanning more than a century, BCI technology has seen rapid growth in recent years. Its applications are expanding beyond healthcare into fields such as education and gaming.

A McKinsey forecast has predicted that the scale of the global BCI medical application market will reach 40 billion U.S. dollars by 2030 and 145 billion dollars by 2040.

By 2028, China's BCI market is projected to be valued at 6.1 billion yuan (around 854.28 million U.S. dollars) -- up from 3.2 billion yuan in 2024, according to CCID consulting under China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

However, breakthroughs still need to be made in critical components such as interface electrodes. Bottlenecks continue to hinder application of this technology -- a challenge that analysts say calls for stronger policy support.

A roadmap released by authorities last week said China's priority tasks include achieving breakthroughs in basic software and hardware.

These involve developing implantable electrodes for different brain regions, such as the dura mater and cerebral cortex, as well as advancing research on interventional electrodes applied to the brain's blood vessels.

China will also develop high-channel, high-speed chips for brain signal collection, and improve brain signal encoding and decoding software.

In terms of application, the roadmap prioritizes the industrial manufacturing, medical care and consumer sectors. Workers in industries such as hazardous materials, nuclear energy, mining and power will be among the first to pilot related products.

The country also envisions using BCI devices to monitor neurological activity in real time and help prevent potential disorders. The detection of driver fatigue through brain signals is also on the horizon.

To support the sector, China will establish standards for BCI technology, strengthen research on ethics in the field -- and plan for the establishment of institutes and colleges featuring futuristic technologies to cultivate more talent.

China is showing its urgency and ambition by acting with speed.

Local governments and institutions have aligned with this vision. Authorities in Beijing and Shanghai, for example, have clarified policies on regulations, clinical trials and the establishment of industry clusters.

In March, national healthcare security authorities issued trial guidelines for the pricing of neurological medical services, establishing fee categories for the implantation and removal of intrusive BCIs.

Kaiyuan Securities is bullish about investment opportunities in China's BCI sector -- citing a likely strong synergy between policies and technologies in the country. ■