A man with paralysis in Jinan has completed a grasping motion by imagining clenching his fist, marking the first successful clinical application of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology in Shandong province.

Zhang Fengfei used an implanted BCI to control a pneumatic glove during rehabilitation training on Sept 7. As he imagined clenching his fist, the glove gradually tightened around his hand, enabling him to pick something up for the first time since losing the ability to grasp objects.

An accident two years ago left Zhang with a cervical spinal cord injury and paralysis in all four limbs. A team led by Professor Xin Tao at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital) implanted NEO, a BCI system designed to compensate for impaired hand motor function.

After postoperative observation confirmed Zhang was recovering well and the device was functioning properly, the medical team activated the system. NEO captured and decoded epidural brain signals associated with Zhang's movement intentions and translated them into commands that controlled the pneumatic glove.

"Cervical spinal cord injuries disrupt the pathways that carry movement commands from the brain to the limbs," said Shi Ran, director of the hospital's department of rehabilitation medicine.

During training, Zhang follows prompts to imagine movements such as clenching and relaxing his fist. He is gradually progressing to exercises involving grasping wooden blocks, cylinders, wooden balls, and sustained grasping.

He will continue intensive training at the hospital before transitioning to home-based rehabilitation, depending on his progress.

Zhang Fengfei grasps a wooden block with a pneumatic glove during a rehabilitation session in Jinan. [Photo/WeChat account: Dazhong News]