Huashan Hospital, which is affiliated with Fudan University, implanted the NEO brain-computer interface device on July 14 in a patient who had suffered spinal cord injury in a car accident and had lost hand function for nearly 10 years. The operation marked Shanghai’s first commercial brain-computer interface procedure and, according to the report, the first BCI surgery globally to formally enter the commercial stage.
The South China Morning Post reported that the patient’s vital signs were stable after surgery. Neural signals read by NEO were directly translated into movements of a robotic glove, allowing the patient to regain basic grasping ability.
NEO uses an epidural surface-mounted design
NEO, short for Neural Electronic Opportunity, was developed by Shanghai-based Neuracle Medical Technology. The device is about the size of a coin and contains eight electrodes. It uses an epidural design placed directly on the surface of the brain’s sensorimotor cortex rather than penetrating brain tissue.
The report said this approach is less invasive than Neuralink’s thread-like electrodes, which penetrate the cortex, and carries a lower infection risk, though it also comes with lower signal resolution. Clinically, NEO is aimed at motor function reconstruction, including indications such as spinal cord injury, stroke, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
NMPA approval allowed prescription-based commercial use
On March 13, 2026, NEO received approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration, or NMPA. The report described the approval as a key distinction from most BCI products, because it allows doctors to formally prescribe the system for commercial medical treatment instead of limiting its use to clinical trials.
By comparison, Neuralink, the company owned by Elon Musk, remains in the clinical trial stage under U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversight, according to the report.
Four months from approval to first commercial case
From the March approval to the first commercial surgery in July, Neuracle spent four months putting several pieces in place: mass-production capacity, clinical partnerships with hospitals including Huashan, patient recruitment, and inclusion in Shanghai’s local commercial medical insurance coverage.
ABMedia said that timeline was relatively fast for a new medical device moving from approval to real-world commercial use in China, and that it showed the supply chain and insurance side were ready at the same time. The company has not announced surgery schedules for additional patients or pricing details.