Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei release plan for shared brain-computer interface standards and testing
Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei release plan for shared brain-computer interface standards and testing
On 26 August, market regulators in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Province published a joint plan. It outlines shared rules for neural signals and devices, methods for measuring their accuracy and safety, and facilities for testing them.
A brain-computer interface connects the brain to a device. Electrodes, which are sensors that record electrical activity in the brain, transmit a signal to software. The software identifies a command in the signal, and the device either executes the command or provides feedback to the user. Comparing these systems requires tests of signal recording, algorithm performance, device properties, and the entire system.
In the full text of the plan, regulators from the three regions divided future work across this system, covering electrodes, chips that record and decode neural signals, recording systems, and real-time algorithms. The document calls for requirements governing data and component quality, device performance, safety, and ethics.
One objective is to develop rules for annotating EEG data, which consist of recordings of electrical activity in the brain. The plan also covers signal acquisition accuracy and assessments of brain-computer interface safety during long-term use. The shared rules should define how these recordings are described. Measurement and testing standards should define how components and complete systems are evaluated.
The plan provides for work on quality standards laboratories, a measurement and certification center, testing tools, and indicators of safety, effectiveness, and reliability. Testing facilities should compile EEG databases, conduct clinical studies, and evaluate technologies in practical settings. These tasks form a sequence that begins with recording the signal, continues with measuring system properties, and ends with testing its use.
A 2025 joint document from seven Chinese government agencies set a goal of developing the technological, industrial, and standards systems for brain-computer interfaces by 2027. The regional plan translates that goal into work on signals and data, device measurement, testing, and research facilities.