中美脑机接口技术差距有多大？瑞银专家电话会议：大约落后两年时间

Core Viewpoint - The brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has gained significant attention in the capital market since January, with related company stock prices experiencing substantial increases. A recent research call organized by UBS highlighted the technological gap between Chinese and American companies in BCI, with an expected narrowing of this gap in the next two years. Group 1: Comparison of BCI Technologies - Non-invasive BCI: - Application scenarios include rehabilitation training, mental illness assessment and treatment, sleep monitoring and treatment, and fatigue monitoring - Advantages include ease of use and operation [1] - Semi-invasive BCI: - Application scenarios include traditional electrocorticography (ECoG) for intraoperative monitoring and coarse motor decoding, with flexible ECoG enabling higher precision in motor decoding - Advantages include better signal quality than non-invasive products and higher safety than invasive products, offering a balanced performance [2] - Invasive BCI: - Application scenarios include external robotic arm/cursor control, sensory reconstruction, and treatment for Parkinson's disease - Advantages include higher decoding precision [3] Group 2: Product Registration and Certification Timeline - Non-invasive BCI: - Most are classified as Class 1/2 medical devices, with registration and certification taking less than one year. More non-invasive products are expected to launch in the Chinese market within the next 6-12 months [4] - Semi-invasive BCI: - Classified as Class 3 active implantable medical devices, with expectations for products to be launched in China within 1-2 years, particularly from Neuracle, which may receive certification by 2026-2027 [5] - Invasive BCI: - Also classified as Class 3 active implantable medical devices, with a longer certification cycle due to stricter regulatory requirements. Some companies may obtain product registration by the end of 2027 to 2028 [6] Group 3: Key Parameters for Invasive and Semi-invasive Products - Semi-invasive BCI: - Key parameters include spatial resolution, typically with fewer channels and relatively lower signal quality [7] - Invasive BCI: - Key parameters include channel count, signal-to-noise ratio, decoding precision, lifespan of implants, and biocompatibility. Manufacturers often promote products based on these aspects [8] Group 4: Technological Gap Between Chinese and American Companies - Current technological gap: - Chinese companies lag behind American counterparts by approximately two years, particularly in electrode technology, chip development, and decoding techniques. However, this gap is expected to narrow in the next 2-3 years [9] - Electrode technology: - American products typically have 1024 channels, while Chinese products range from 128-256 channels. China is expected to achieve large-scale production of flexible micro-nano/ECoG electrodes within 3-5 years [10] - Chip technology: - American companies utilize self-developed chips with high system integration, while Chinese companies primarily rely on imported chips. Domestic chip manufacturers face demand constraints rather than technical limitations [11] Group 5: Market Potential and Pricing - Market size: - Non-invasive products are expected to account for at least 70% of the total BCI market, with significant growth anticipated over the next 5-10 years. The overall market size for BCI products in China is projected to reach several hundred billion RMB by 2030 [12] - Pricing expectations: - Non-invasive products are priced around 10,000 RMB for sleep monitoring devices and 200,000-400,000 RMB for rehabilitation and mental illness products. Invasive/semi-invasive products are expected to align with current deep brain stimulation (DBS) device pricing [13] Group 6: Leading Companies in BCI Products - Non-invasive BCI: - Companies such as Neuracle, Genlight, and PINS Medical have launched front-end products. Optimizing backend decoding algorithms may enhance treatment effects and expand indications [14] - Semi-invasive BCI: - WE-LINKING is noted for its flexible ECoG technology, which can cover large areas of the brain for multi-region decoding [15] - Invasive BCI: - Companies like StairMed, BCIFlex, and NeuCyberNeuroTech utilize similar technology routes with flexible micro-nano electrodes for precise implantation and higher decoding accuracy [16]