Brain-computer interface technology breaks the traditional mode of information transmission and bridges the gap between the human or animal brain and a computer or other electronic device.
Brain-computer interfaces do not rely on conventional brain information output channels, but decode brain activity, convert it into computer-understandable instructions, and realize the control of external devices.
According to Data Bridge Market Research, the brain-computer interface market has shown a high growth trend in recent years, and the size of the brain-computer interface market is expected to increase to $5.692 billion by 2030, and the industry has broad development potential.
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Brain-computer interface industry chain
From the perspective of the industrial chain, the upstream link of brain-computer interface technology is mainly the collection and preliminary processing of EEG signals, including EEG acquisition equipment, BCI chips, processing computer datasets, processing algorithms, operating system-level analysis software, etc.
Upstream participants include suppliers of chips and EEG acquisition equipment, operating systems, software, data analysis services and other manufacturers
The midstream link is mainly the R&D and supply of brain-computer interface products, which is mainly composed of EEG acquisition platform companies and brain-computer interface equipment companies.
Downstream application fields include healthcare, education and training, gaming and entertainment, military defense and other fields.
From the perspective of system composition, the brain-computer interface is divided into seven parts: the brain is the signal source, the brain signal acquisition technology is used to capture brain activity, after brain signal preprocessing and analysis, it is connected to external control equipment through the control interface to form a complete closed loop through neurofeedback.
Diagram of the core links and technical barriers of brain-computer interface technology:
Source: National Institute of Financial Research
1. Brain-computer interface chip
The core of brain-computer interface technology is largely dependent on materials and chips.
BCI chips are mainly used for signal analog-to-digital conversion in brain-computer interfaces, and their high integration, low power consumption and high stability are the key features. Technologies such as data management, machine learning, and software engineering are required, and the technical requirements at the hardware level are also extensive, and the compatibility of the materials of the peripheral devices with the human body is also very important.
Brain-computer interface chip research spans a wide range of scientific fields, including biology and neuroscience, engineering, computer science, psychology and medicine.
At present, there are two main solutions for BCI chips: general-purpose chips and ASICs.
Many well-known companies and universities around the world, such as Neuralink, Fudan University, Brown University and CEC Cloud Brain, have designed ASIC chips.
Among them, Neuralink was founded by Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, the company focuses on the development of safe and efficient brain-computer interface devices, and the chip design emphasizes invasive technology to achieve high-precision signal acquisition. Neuralink's self-developed N1 brain sensor chip can convert the surface potential of the cell membrane into a digital signal through filtering and other processing.
In addition, a number of domestic companies have deployed in the field of brain-computer interface, including Borui Kangke, Brain Tiger Technology, Ningju Technology, Shenzhen Chuangda Yunrui Intelligence, Zhentai Intelligence and Ladder Medical.
Diagram of the BCI chip developed by Fudan University:
2. EEG collection
EEG harvesting uses specially designed instruments to capture and record the biopotentials naturally produced by the cerebral cortex.
EEG acquisition technology is mainly used to monitor and record the weak electrical signals released when neurons in the brain are active. Electrodes are usually placed on the subject's scalp and are able to capture spontaneous biopotentials in the cerebral cortex.
The acquired raw potential signal is amplified and filtered to be displayed on the screen in the form of an intuitive electroencephalogram (EEG).
Brain-computer interface signal acquisition technology is mainly divided into three categories: invasive, non-invasive and semi-invasive.
Invasive brain-computer interface technology implants devices directly into the gray matter or cranial cavity of the human or animal brain to obtain high-frequency and high-precision neural signals. It can be subdivided into various types such as ECoG, LFP, SUA, etc., and this technology has become the mainstream route of international brain-computer interface technology. The main advantage of invasive is that it can get closer to the brain tissue, so as to obtain clearer and more accurate EEG signals, but this method has great potential risks.
Non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are designed to collect EEG and neuroelectrical signals by wearing a device outside the head, which is suitable for simple signal recognition and feedback.
The advantage of non-invasive is the portability and ease of use of the device, which does not require a craniotomy; The disadvantage is that the spatial resolution of the signal is insufficient.
Semi-invasive brain-computer interfaces, in which devices are implanted into the scalp and cerebral cortex, try to find a balance between invasive and non-invasive.
On the whole, among the three technical routes, the research and development of invasive technologies is more difficult and risky, and the requirements for technology and capital are also higher.
The roadmap of three EEG acquisition technologies is as follows:
In recent years, research in the field of brain-computer interface in mainland China has been very active, and the main research institutions include Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tianjin University, Fudan University, East China University of Science and Technology and other universities. In addition, the outstanding representative manufacturers in related fields in China include Boruikang, Strong Brain Technology, Zhentai Intelligence, Weiss Medical, Chengyitong, Innovative Medical, Three Doctors Brain, Xiangyu Medical, Aipeng Medical, Zhongke Information, Nanjing Panda, Century Huatong and Jiahe Intelligence.
3. Brain-computer interface data processing
The core of brain-computer interface data processing technology is to accurately convert EEG signals into operation instructions, which involves the integration of data preprocessing, data management, and machine learning technology.
The main task of data preprocessing is to sift through valuable information from complex neural signals, and then interpret these brain-generated signals into specific instructions. The related technologies in this link include noise removal, signal feature extraction, and decoding.
The high-performance computing power ensures that the signals can be converted quickly and accurately, and the system can be quickly and accurately analyzed even in the face of massive EEG signal data. #脑机接口##科技##财经##长文创作激励计划#
Representative manufacturers of each link of brain-computer interface:
The source of the information: Xingxingcha
epilogue
At present, countries around the world have launched brain projects to give strong support to the development of brain-computer interfaces. In this year's government work report, brain-computer interface is also focused on being included in the category of new quality productivity.
However, it should be noted that there are still many challenges in the development of brain-computer interfaces. For example, there is a lack of basic theories and a low level of technological maturity. There are also various problems in the commercialization process, which also restricts the rapid development of the technology. In addition, issues such as privacy protection, data security, and ethics are also important factors.
On the whole, the brain-computer interface is still in its preliminary stage, and with the continuous increase of policies in various countries and the leading enterprises in the world, the future space of the industry is very broad.
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