BrainCo, a company specializing in the development of brain-computer interfaces (BCI), presented a new platform capable of controlling robots using neural signals.
The technology was demonstrated during the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), held in Shanghai (China), in which a participant used only thought to command a robotic arm.
In the demonstration, the user wore a lightweight electroencephalography (EEG) headset connected to the company’s brain-computer interface system. When thinking about picking up a cap, the robotic arm identified the intention and automatically carried out the action.
According to BrainCo, the entire process — from reading brain signals to executing the movement by the robot — takes less than 200 milliseconds.
Platform transforms intention into commands for robots
The technology works in three steps:
- First, the EEG headset captures the electrical signals emitted by the user’s brain;
- Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms then analyze this information to identify the intention of movement or control;
- Finally, this intention is converted into commands sent to the robot, which performs the task;
- According to Nyx He, partner and senior vice president at BrainCo, the system represents the result of a decade of research in the area of brain-computer interfaces;
- “A decade of BCI research has given us the ability to decode what a person intends to do and translate that into machine action,” he told The Robot Report.
He added that the combination of different technologies should drive a new stage of interaction between humans and machines. “By integrating brain-computer interfaces, AI and embodied AI, we believe this will define the next chapter of human-machine collaboration.”
During the presentation in Shanghai, the robotic arm also performed tasks that require greater precision, such as holding a glass and picking up an apple.
System can be integrated with different types of robots
According to the company, the platform was designed to work with several commercially available robots, including humanoid robots, robotic arms and robots with legs. The proposal is to allow manufacturers and research centers to incorporate the technology into development projects without depending on proprietary equipment.
Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, BrainCo describes the platform’s architecture as a neuro-embodied AI solution.
In this model, the brain-computer interface identifies the operator’s intent, while an AI layer interprets that intent and breaks it down into actionable steps. After that, the robot’s own systems are responsible for physically carrying out the task.
Company wants to expand data supply for robot training
In addition to the neural signal control platform, BrainCo also presented its new Embedded AI Data Collection Solution at WAIC.
According to the company, the initiative seeks to address one of the main challenges in current robotics: the scarcity of real, high-quality data to train AI systems capable of performing complex and delicate tasks.
BrainCo explains that teaching a robot to perform activities, such as folding clothes, assembling components or manipulating fragile objects, requires large volumes of data obtained in real situations, something that still represents an obstacle to the development of the area.
To achieve this, the company developed its own platform consisting of a mobile data collection system equipped with two robotic arms and a high-precision glove. The set records information from three sources: the execution carried out by the robot, demonstrations carried out by human operators and virtual simulations.
In addition to this data, the system also records the human operator’s EEG signals. In this way, the platform captures not only the movements performed by the person’s hands, but also the brain commands that gave rise to these movements.
According to BrainCo, this approach combines the quality of data produced by real robots with the scalability of human demonstrations, allowing it to continuously generate large volumes of data based on real-world tasks.
Company already has three robotic products
Founded in 2015, BrainCo already sells three products in the area of robotics and intelligent prosthetics. Among them is the Revo 3 Dexterous Handa robotic end effector with 21 degrees of freedom.
The company also offers Intelligent Bionic Handa prosthetic hand with five fingers, and the Intelligent Bionic Lega smart knee joint intended for lower limb prosthetics.
Source: www.olhardigital.com.br
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