Imagine controlling your phone with your thoughts 💭—no hands needed! Brain-computer interface (BCI) tech, once sci-fi fantasy, is racing toward reality, and China is leading the charge, says Synchron CEO Tom Oxley.
At the 2025 Summer Davos Forum in Tianjin, Oxley revealed his company’s collaboration with Apple 🍏 to create a new industry standard for BCI devices. Dubbed the 'human interface device' (HID), this Bluetooth protocol will let brains communicate directly with gadgets, bypassing clunky workarounds like mimicking keyboard inputs. 🚀
Oxley also teased plans to integrate ChatGPT 🤖 into Synchron’s systems, calling AI and BCI a 'power duo.' AI’s ability to decode messy brain data could unlock life-changing apps for paralyzed patients, with clinical trials already underway.
But here’s the kicker: China’s BCI sector is accelerating faster than a TikTok trend. 'The government has a clear strategy, and companies are emerging rapidly,' Oxley told CGTN. While implantable BCIs aren’t FDA-approved yet, he predicts mainstream adoption by the 2040s—especially if non-invasive methods, like Synchron’s catheter-based tech, keep improving.
Could thought-controlled tech soon rival smartphones? Oxley says not yet, but the finish line is in sight: 'This isn’t just about medicine. It’s about redefining how we interact with the world.' 🌍✨
