Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is rapidly transitioning from laboratories to real-world applications, enabling patients to control computers, robotic arms, and robot dogs with their thoughts. As integration into daily life accelerates, China marked a significant milestone on January 1, 2026, when its first national standard for BCI-based medical devices took effect. The new standard defines the scope of BCI medical devices, categorises technical approaches, standardises terminology for signals such as electroencephalograms, and provides key definitions for signal acquisition, processing, encoding and decoding, as well as clinical applications. Why are such standards important? According to Yuan Peng, deputy director-general of the department of medical device registration at the National Medical Products Administration, as China makes breakthroughs in brain science and neural decoding, BCI medical devices are entering a critical stage of industrialisation and clinical translation. Because these dev...