[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] NeoFect, a specialized company in innovative medical solutions, announced on the 16th that it has been selected for the ‘2021 International Joint Technology Development Project’ organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and will develop BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) and soft robotics home rehabilitation assistive devices for stroke patients.
NeoFect is conducting development in collaboration with Bundang Seoul National University Hospital (Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Professor Namjong Baek’s research team), which has the best clinical infrastructure and capabilities in Korea, and Charit? University Hospital in Berlin, Germany. The development of upper limb assistive soft robot technology based on BCI using EEG (electrodes for measuring brain waves) is the first of its kind in Korea.
Bundang Seoul National University Hospital and Charit? University Hospital in Germany will develop algorithms based on BCI and other biosignals. They have agreed to conduct Korea-Germany clinical trials to verify effectiveness. Charit? University Hospital, with a history of 300 years, is the largest university hospital in Europe and holds a prestigious status, with more than half of Germany’s Nobel laureates in medicine being from Charit?. It was ranked 6th in Newsweek’s ‘World’s Best Hospitals 2021’.
Subsequently, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital will conduct user evaluations of the soft robot system and BCI-based integrated prototypes. NeoFect plans to develop an upper limb rehabilitation soft robot system and VR (virtual reality) home rehabilitation content and proceed with rapid product commercialization.
A NeoFect official stated, “By applying BCI technology to rehabilitation robots, the scope of upper limb rehabilitation devices can be expanded compared to existing devices, enabling even severe stroke patients to participate in rehabilitation treatment, and patients with hemiplegia who have limitations in daily life can perform bimanual tasks.”
He added, “While commercialization of BCI-based rehabilitation systems is still insufficient both domestically and internationally, once this technology development is completed, product launch and commercialization at home and abroad are expected within one year. At this point in time, when a market with great potential is forming, the development of a system through the convergence of home rehabilitation-capable BCI, soft robotics, and VR technologies will be an important starting point for market dominance.”
According to market research firm Valuates, the BCI market size is expected to grow from $1.36 billion (1.5 trillion KRW) in 2019 to $3.585 billion (4 trillion KRW) by 2027. BCI is receiving significant attention as a future new technology, with global entrepreneurs leading its commercialization.
Elon Musk, founder of Tesla, established Neuralink, a BCI development company, and is developing brain-implant chips that allow control of electronic devices by thought alone. Additionally, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, is developing non-invasive BCI technology that can be used in conjunction with VR and AR (augmented reality) devices.
Meanwhile, BCI is a next-generation technology that connects the human brain and computers. It analyzes electrical signals inside the brain transmitted in the form of brain waves to control robots or electronic devices. In the US and Europe, research on the application of BCI in rehabilitation treatment is more advanced than in Korea, with accumulated patient application experience and clinical effect reports being conducted.
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