The first in-orbit verification of an implantable brain-computer interface

The future of brain connections in space.

Until recently, brain-computer interfaces, BCIs, were tested only in highly controlled laboratories, protected from radiation, microgravity and the vacuum of space, now, according to Chinese authorities, that has changed.

An NPU team would have performed the world's first in-orbit verification of an implantable and fully wireless brain-computer interface, the device was sent into space last December using a platform dedicated to orbital experiments. The goal was to discover if a system capable of reading brain signals could survive and function outside the Earth's atmosphere, and it worked.

During the experiment, the brain-computer interface was placed in a simulated body fluid environment, reproducing real biological conditions. Even exposed to the extreme conditions of space, the device maintained stable collection of EEG signals. This means that the sensitive, traditionally fragile neural components did not short-circuit, did not degrade, and did not lose precision.

The test fills a critical international gap.

According to the researchers, demonstrating that neural electronics can operate beyond the Earth, but the impact goes beyond engineering, space causes profound alterations in the human brain, when we leave the Earth's gravity, the so-called cephalic displacement of fluids occurs, blood and cerebrospinal fluid rise towards the head. Prolonged missions have already demonstrated increased brain ventrilocus size, cognitive impairments, and changes in the way the brain eliminates metabolic waste.

Until now, these effects were studied indirectly. With a functional BCI in orbit, it becomes possible to monitor neural activity in real time and map how microgravity reconfigures the brain. This is crucial for long-duration missions that will require years in space. China officially classified brain-computer interfaces as one of the six industries of the future under its 15th five-year plan. The stated goal is to integrate BCIs into the healthcare and manufacturing sectors by 2027, establishing global industrial leadership by 2030.