SHENZHEN A football fever is sweeping the world with the World Cup taking place in Qatar, but it seems to have failed to win much attention from the technology and scientific fields. The last time technology wowed people following the sport's greatest show on Earth was during the 2014 Brazil World Cup, which was opened by a paraplegic wearing a mind-controlled robotic exoskeleton to make the first kick.
The kick was regarded as the opening of an era of brain-computer interface to build a direct communication pathway between the human brain and computer without the use of the common neural pathways and muscles.
Thanks to the advancement of technology, the antecedent elephantine wearable device has become friendlier and smarter to wear almost the same size as human limbs, leading to an increase in various applications. Physically challenged people are the first to benefit from high-tech, from playing piano and rock climbing to peeling a banana for a child.
BCI products for improving sleeping quality are available on e-commerce platforms at a price of several thousand yuan.
The Human Brain Project and the BRAIN Initiative are a series of investments by the US government and the European Union in the area of BCI research. The BCI market has attracted the attention of many international investors, with Elon Musk being a high-profile enthusiastic participant in the conduit. Strategic Market Research estimated in July that it will witness a robust compound annual growth rate of 15.11 percent, valued at $1505.06 million in 2021 and expected to appreciate and reach $5340.38 million by the year 2030.
BCI has also stimulated research and applications in the Chinese mainland, where it plays an important role in the China Brain Project. The country s first comprehensive BCI open-source software platform MetaBCI was released on November 19.
Investors who previously thought BCI was a fantasy or something from science fiction films or a future too far away have started to show confidence in it. An investment of $200 million has been raised by Elon Musk's BCI company Neuralink last year, according to BrainCo Inc, based in Shenzhen. Dr Miguel Nicolelis, a BCI pioneer who co-managed a team of more than 150 researchers to create the robotic exoskeleton at the 2014 World Cup, also joined BrainCo as chief scientific officer last year.
In order to be a world technology and innovation hub, Hong Kong has started BCI research in some universities, including a State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Hong Kong. It doesn't have a comprehensive Brain Science Development Initiative, as well as a comprehensive BCI or brain science development initiative. Government-led support will help BCI researchers and players in the city gain a strong foothold on the global stage due to the long-term investment cycle and abundant fund demand for research and development.
The nascent industry is facing headwinds, which requires commercialization and technological breakthroughs. Besides controlling devices, researchers are also cracking the nut of tactile sensations and other feelings. Ethics concerns are a challenge for BCI applications, like gene editing. These difficulties and risks make official guidance and regulation more urgent.
She is based in Shenzhen and focuses on tech trends, innovative startups and Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation. She can be reached at grace chinadailyhk.com