The 14th Five-Year Plan proposal explicitly lists brain-computer interface as one of six future industries, marking its upgrade from a frontier technology exploration to a new engine for national economic growth. The current layout of China's brain-computer interface industry presents a pattern of multi-point development and competitive pursuit of unique strengths, with many regions actively seizing this strategic emerging track through systematic policy guidance, platform construction, and ecosystem cultivation. So, what machine tool equipment does this emerging industry need to support its implementation?

Major breakthrough

According to China Daily, recently, a research team from Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), led by Chang Honglong and Ji Bowen, announced a key breakthrough in their developed three-dimensional conical carbon-based flexible cortical electrode array. This innovation has successfully addressed core challenges that have long constrained industry development, including brain tissue damage, signal attenuation, and poor biocompatibility. Additionally, it completed the world's first technical verification in a space environment, opening up new pathways for the clinical translation and aerospace applications of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and demonstrating China's top-tier innovative strength in the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).

Targeting critical issues with traditional minimally invasive implanted cortical electrodes, such as low flexibility, poor contact with brain tissue, and metal corrosion or dissolution leading to failure over time, the NPU team dedicated years of focused research and development to innovatively create the three-dimensional conical carbon-based flexible cortical electrode array.

Animal experiment results show that this electrode collects signals more stably, with key performance metrics hundreds of times higher than traditional metal electrodes. It can safely perform stimulation regulation over the long term and be used safely during ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging checks. Currently, the electrode has passed certification by a third-party medical device quality inspection institute, meeting medical standards in terms of biocompatibility and long-term implantation stability, paving the way for subsequent long-term clinical applications.

It is understood that a brain-computer interface establishes a direct communication channel between the brain and external devices. It is commonly used to assist, enhance, or restore human sensory-motor functions or improve human-machine interaction capabilities and is currently being tested and applied in the medical field. Based on implantation conditions, BCIs are divided into three types: invasive, non-invasive, and semi-invasive.

The just-concluded 2025 is known in the industry as the \"Year Zero\" for China's brain-computer interface development. In May 2025, Shanghai Staircase Medical Technology Co., Ltd. released the progress of its prospective clinical trials for an ultra-flexible minimally invasive implanted BCI system. In June, Professor Duan Feng's team from Nankai University led the completion of the world's first interventional BCI-assisted trial for restoring motor function in a human limb affected by illness. In November, Wuhan Zhonghua Brain-Computer Convergence Technology Development Co., Ltd. collaborated with Tongji Medical College Affiliated Union Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology to complete the first clinical implantation surgery using a completely independently developed BCI chip... BCI technology innovations are increasingly aligning with patient needs, and a series of clinical breakthroughs have been successively implemented.

An increasing number of new technologies are accelerating the transition from laboratories to clinical applications. Recently, Ming Shi Neurotech (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. released its self-developed implantable brain-computer interface visual reconstruction system, offering new possibilities for restoring vision to visually impaired patients. A second invasive brain-computer interface clinical trial conducted by the Brain Science and Intelligent Technology Excellence Innovation Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and relevant institutions has made new progress, achieving a significant shift from two-dimensional screen cursor control to three-dimensional physical world interaction. Shanghai BrainHawk Technology Co., Ltd. announced that its self-developed first domestic and second international fully implanted, fully wireless, and fully functional brain-computer interface product with an integrated battery has successfully completed its first clinical trial. During a game against a paraplegic patient who had the product implanted, the company's founder and chief scientist Tao Hu was unexpectedly defeated. \"We firmly believe that brain-computer interfaces are not flashy tools but bridges connecting life and hope,\" Tao Hu stated. Driven by both technological implementation and favorable policies, capital investment enthusiasm in the brain-computer interface field continues to rise. According to incomplete statistics from the Arteris Database, from January to November 2025, China's brain-computer interface sector completed 24 financing rounds, a 30% year-on-year increase. Looking at the past five years, there have been nearly a hundred financing events in China's brain-computer interface sector, with total financing exceeding 10 billion yuan. Data from the China Information and Communication Industry Development Research Institute shows that China's brain-computer interface market size was 3.2 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year growth of 18.8%, and is expected to reach 5.58 billion yuan by 2027, with a growth rate of 20%. At the beginning of this year, Elon Musk announced via social media that his brain-computer interface company Neuralink plans to achieve mass production of brain-computer interface devices by 2026.

Machine tool equipment required for brain-computer interface manufacturing

As understood, the manufacturing of brain-computer interfaces involves various precision machining processes and requires multiple types of processing equipment. Among these, lithography machines are widely applied (used for patterning structures of microelectrode arrays and chips), thin-film deposition equipment (used for depositing biocompatible coatings on electrode surfaces), and micro-nano machining equipment (used for precise etching and processing of micro-nano structures to achieve electrode miniaturization and complex structure manufacturing), etc.

Additionally, the following categories of machine tool equipment are also used: Precision laser processing equipment, such as laser cutters and laser welders, which are used to process components of brain-computer interface (BCI) devices like casings and electrode leads. Through high-precision cutting and welding, they ensure the device's sealability and reliability while minimizing thermal damage to neural tissue. CNC lathes and milling machines are employed to manufacture mechanical structural parts of BCIs, such as implant casings and supports. They require high precision and surface quality to guarantee device stability and biocompatibility. Grinding machines are used for fine grinding and polishing of electrode and chip surfaces, reducing surface roughness, enhancing electrode conductivity and biocompatibility, and ensuring chip flatness and accuracy. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) equipment is utilized to process electrodes and parts made of high-hardness materials. By means of electro-erosion, it enables high-precision machining of complex-shaped parts, meeting the processing requirements for some special material components in BCIs. Precision positioning and motion control equipment, such as high-precision linear stages and multi-axis control systems, are used in BCI implantation surgical robots or experimental devices. They achieve sub-micron-level positioning accuracy and dynamic stability, ensuring that electrodes can be precisely implanted into specific locations in the brain.

These devices collectively form the core manufacturing equipment for brain-computer interfaces, and their precision and performance directly impact the quality and reliability of brain-computer interfaces.