Chinese technology unicorn BrainCo has introduced what it describes as the world’s first integrated “brain-to-robot” platform, allowing users to operate robots using only their thoughts without any physical movement.
The company announced the launch of its Brain-Controlled Robot AI Platform on Friday during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, China’s flagship artificial intelligence event. The unveiling comes as technology companies around the world intensify efforts to develop embodied AI systems that combine artificial intelligence with physical machines capable of perceiving, reasoning and interacting with the real world.
BrainCo said the platform functions by collecting brain activity through an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset worn by the user.
Artificial intelligence algorithms then interpret the neural signals, identify the user’s intentions and convert them directly into commands for robotic movement.
According to the company, the platform supports a broad range of third-party hardware, including humanoid robots, robotic arms and robotic dogs. It said a robotic arm, for instance, can be instructed to pick up an apple or grasp a cup using only signals generated by the user’s brain.
Established in 2015, BrainCo has grown into one of China’s leading brain-computer interface (BCI) companies and is among Hangzhou’s “six little dragons,” an informal group of high-tech firms that have gained international recognition for advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies.
Unlike Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which develops surgically implanted brain chips to capture neural activity, BrainCo has focused its research on non-invasive wearable devices and prosthetic technologies.
“The embodied AI industry has made remarkable progress on what robots can do on their own,” said Nyx He, partner and senior vice-president of BrainCo. “We believe the next decisive frontier is about how robots understand the humans they work with.”
Embodied AI has become a key area of competition between Chinese and U.S. technology companies, with firms including Tesla and Nvidia investing heavily in integrating AI with physical hardware to improve autonomous reasoning and manipulation.
BrainCo said its platform could address one of the robotics industry’s biggest challenges by helping overcome the shortage of high-quality training data. The company plans to combine data from real-world robot operations, human demonstrations and virtual simulations to create more diverse datasets for training robotic intelligence.
Despite these ambitions, access to quality data remains a major obstacle for the industry.
In a report released on Wednesday, HSBC analysts said China’s humanoid robotics sector continues to face a shortage of high-quality real-world training data needed to build advanced robotic intelligence, adding that the “commercialisation of humanoid robots” remains “many years” away.
