China's BCI advances: surface mesh electrode achieves 5.2 bps decoding in fully implanted wireless system
Summary
NeuroXess published early clinical data from their fully implanted surface mesh BCI system showing a neural decoding rate of 5.2 bits per second in a spinal cord injury patient — near leading international levels — while using a polyimide mesh that sits on the brain surface without penetrating tissue. The patient achieved control of a cursor, wheelchair, and robotic arm via thought alone within 5 days of implantation. All 54 of NeuroXess's clinical implantations used this non-penetrating surface approach, with no electrode failure or infection reported.
Why it matters
The NeuroXess 5.2 bps surface-electrode result directly challenges the prevailing assumption that penetrating electrodes are necessary for high-bandwidth BCI. If surface mesh achieves near-equivalent decoding performance without the inflammatory response that degrades penetrating electrode recordings over time, it may represent a superior long-term BCI architecture.
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