In a first, cerebral palsy patient plays Chinese chess match using BCI

Han Binbin, a cerebral palsy patient with severe motor impairments, made history by competing in a national-level Chinese chess tournament using a non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) device. Held in Hainan Province and organized by the Chinese Chess Association, Han faced grandmaster Meng Chen, controlling chess moves solely through his mind via the BCI headset. Previously, Han had to physically nudge chess pieces on a smartphone screen using his nose, a laborious process that limited his ability to fully engage with the game. The BCI technology, which translates EEG brain signals into digital commands, allowed Han to bypass his motor limitations, providing him with a new sense of autonomy and connection to the game. The BCI system used by Han is based on a sophisticated model trained on intracranial EEG data, enabling it to generalize across users and adapt rapidly to different tasks and environments. This breakthrough reflects China’s growing investment in neural technology, exemplified by recent clinical trials at the Shanghai Center