China's domestically developed semi-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) system "Beinao No.1" has completed 16 implantations and is expected to be piloted in qualified Grade-A tertiary hospitals nationwide in 2027, while "Beinao No.2" is set to begin clinical validation in the second half of 2026, Zhao Jizong, a neurosurgery expert and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said at an academic exchange event, according to Beijing Daily on Tuesday.

Zhao said Beijing has built a full-chain research and development system for BCI. At present, "Beinao No.1" has 16 research centers and has completed 16 implantations. The longest implantation has lasted more than one year, and the system has operated safely for more than 55,000 hours, helping patients achieve mind-controlled robotic-arm operation and motor-function reconstruction.

According to the plan, "Beinao No.1" will complete 36 implantations in 2026, while clinical validation of "Beinao No.2" will be advanced in the second half of the year. By 2030, China is expected to complete BCI clinical guidelines and technical standards, forming a replicable Chinese solution, according to the Beijing Daily.

Zhao said the current core bottleneck lies in the shortage of specialized talent, as post-operative rehabilitation for patients lacks dedicated personnel with relevant expertise. Beijing has taken the lead in launching training for clinical BCI adaptation specialists to fill the talent gap and support the implementation of the technology.

A BCI creates a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. By recording and interpreting brain signals, BCI allows the brain to "talk" directly to machines, enabling patients to control assistive devices, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

As a frontier technology in human-computer interaction, BCI has been driving a new wave of technological and industrial transformation. China has introduced a series of policies to strengthen BCI research and industrial deployment. The BCI sector has been designated as a future industry in this year's government work report, per Xinhua.

With the 2026 national college entrance examinations (gaokao) approaching, examination authorities across multiple Chinese provinces have tightened security checks at exam sites. The enhnced measures aim to ensure that cheating devices cannot be brought into examination venues, used during exams, or employed to transmit information. Authorities have placed special emphasis on detecting smart glasses and other high-tech cheating devices, which are prohibited from exam rooms and will be treated as cheating if discovered.

According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), a total of 12.9 million candidates have registered for this year's gaokao, which will begin on June 7. In an announcement on Wednesday, the ministry and relevant government agencies said they have directed local authorities to enhance exam administration and candidate services, with the goal of ensuring a safe and orderly examination process. 

Guangdong Province on Tuesday issued a notice, saying that gaokao candidates wearing or carrying glasses must remove them during entrance security checks under video surveillance and place them on a desk for inspection by proctors, The Paper reported.

Education examinations authorities in Shanghai, Fujian and other regions have also issued notices for candidates, emphasizing that those wearing framed glasses must cooperate with proctors for inspection. Exam staff have also received training to identify new types of smart glasses, with particular attention paid to the size, shape and other characteristics of candidates' eyewear, according to The Paper. 

Under China's  measures for handling violations of national education examinations, any candidate found carrying a device capable of transmitting or receiving information is considered to have cheated, resulting in the cancellation of their scores for all subjects and stages of the examinations they have registered. 

The MOE on Tuesday warned that bringing mobile phones, smartwatches, smart bands, smart glasses, or other devices into gaokao exam rooms constitutes cheating, regardless of whether the devices are actually used. 

North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has adopted a zero-tolerance policy toward smart glasses. The local education examination authority has advised gaokao candidates who rely on smart eyewear in daily life or for study to prepare suitable conventional prescription glasses before the exams, warning that smart glasses will not be permitted in exam venues and any resulting impact on exam performance will be the candidate's own responsibility, The Paper reported. 

An official from the Examinations and Admissions Authority of Guizhou Province told the Global Times on Wednesday that the requirement permitting only ordinary optical glasses at examination sites comes directly from the MOE. Guizhou is implementing the policy through a combination of smart security gates and manual inspections in line with unified national regulations and requirements.

Recently, the Henan provincial education examinations authority issued pre-exam guidance and introduced a "silent entry" system for the gaokao, requiring candidates to pass smart security gates and metal detector checks without triggering alarms before entering exam zones and test rooms, Henan Fabu, the official WeChat account of the local government said on Wednesday.  

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-22 spaceship, carrying the Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday.

The three astronauts are all in good health condition, the China Manned Space Agency said, noting that the Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission is a complete success.