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‘Doctrine of the Mean’: how the US lost a 2-decade race to China in brain implants

For decades, the United States led the charge in the pursuit of brain-computer interface technology, betting big on bold, high-risk breakthroughs that promised to revolutionise…

By Samantha Johnson / March 29, 2026

For decades, the United States led the charge in the pursuit of brain-computer interface technology, betting big on bold, high-risk breakthroughs that promised to revolutionise medicine and human-machine integration.

In the end, it is China crossing the finish line first.

Using a semi-invasive approach that may lend credence to the Confucian “doctrine of the mean” – or the philosophy of seeking a middle path between extremes – a team in China has now come up with a commercially approved product ahead of all other players, including challengers in the US.

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After decades of this technology being stuck in clinical trials globally, this feat makes their Neural Electronic Opportunity (Neo) implant the first invasive device in the world to be available outside trials.

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The development of BCI has been defined by a difficult trade-off: a non-invasive approach that sacrifices precision or an invasive approach that sacrifices safety.

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