Tianjin University has unveiled China's first undergraduate program in brain-computer interfaces (BCI) for the upcoming fall semester, representing a significant advancement in this cutting-edge technology on a global scale. BCI technology facilitates direct interaction between the brain and external devices, like computers or prosthetic limbs. This program was created through a collaborative effort between the School of Future Technology and the Medical School of Tianjin University.
"In response to increasing demand in the BCI sector, Tianjin University is leveraging resources from various departments, including the medical school, electrical automation and information engineering, microelectronics, intelligent computing, mathematics, and materials science and engineering", said Xu Minpeng, assistant director of the university's BCI Laboratory and head of the Haihe BCI project.
According to Xu, top experts in BCI will establish a thorough interdisciplinary research and teaching team that covers fundamental theories, device systems, and practical applications. The university aims to develop exceptional engineers and scientists skilled in designing, producing, and researching future bio-intelligent electronic interfaces. This initiative is intended to drive progress in BCI technology and the industrial development of bio-information integration.
Among the hundreds of applicants, only 20 will ultimately make it, according to school authorities. In May, the university's Haihe BCI Laboratory announced a group of commercial and industrial projects covering finance, technology and industrial clusters. Ni Guangjian, deputy head of the laboratory, said, "The lab will advance leading technological innovation, relying on the Tiankai Higher Education Innovation Park and Binhai High-tech Zone. It is also mapping out a blueprint for the BCI Industrial Zone in a bid to accelerate the industrialization of high technologies".
Cheng Longlong, a data scientist at China Electronics Corp and general manager of CEC Cloud Brain Co, said, "We are focusing on upgrading independent BCI chips in a bid to support the core technologies of BCI's future development". In July, China said it would set up a BCI standardization technical committee under its Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to guide enterprises to enhance industrial standards and boost domestic innovation.
