China's NMPA approves Neuracle's implanted brain-computer interface for adults with partial paralysis

Neuracle

China's medical products regulator approved Neuracle's invasive brain-computer interface for adults who are partly paralysed after a spinal cord injury. In trials, patients regained the ability to grasp and hold objects with their hands. The approval is narrow: only patients who still have some upper-arm function qualify.

• The system pairs implanted sensors and a decoding algorithm with a robotic glove that carries out the grasp.
• The implant sits outside the outer membrane of the brain and uses fewer signal channels than some competing implants.
• Only patients who retain some upper-arm function are authorised, which limits the device to a narrower group than some other implants.
• The article does not say whether the product is reimbursed or when it will launch commercially.
• The source gives no trial outcome data beyond the grasping result.