China just put its first commercial brain implant into a patient. It’s smaller than Neuralink’s, on purpose.

Surgeons at Huashan Hospital in Shanghai implanted Neuracle's coin-sized NEO brain-computer interface in a patient with hand paralysis from a spinal injury, marking the first commercial brain implant surgery globally. Unlike Neuralink's device, NEO rests on the brain surface without penetrating it, enabling faster regulatory approval and commercialization in China within four months.