China Beats Neuralink to Market - Neo Brain Implant Approved for Commercial Sale at $15K

China has achieved a significant milestone in neurotechnology by becoming the first country to approve a brain-computer interface for commercial sale. The Neo brain implant, priced at approximately £15,000, enables paralysed patients to control external devices using only their thoughts. Developed by Neuracle Medical Technology, Neo is a coin-sized chip that sits on the brain's surface over the motor cortex. When patients imagine moving their hand, the device reads these neural signals and translates them into commands for a pneumatic glove that can grip objects. The non-invasive approach places the chip on the brain's surface rather than penetrating brain tissue. Clinical trials at Huashan Hospital in Shanghai demonstrated remarkable success. All 32 participants with spinal cord injuries who received the implant regained the ability to grasp objects, with no reported adverse side effects. This contrasts with competing technologies like Neuralink, which remains in trial phases and has encountered complications from its more invasive surgical approach. China's achievement follows a strategic national initiative. Months before Neo's approval, Beijing published a comprehensive 17-step plan aimed at dominating the brain-implant industry within five years. Whilst Western competitors continue conducting individual trials, China now has a commercially available product, demonstrated publicly by a 72-year-old patient moving his leg on state television, backed by coordinated government support for the emerging neurotechnology sector.