Neofect to Commercialize MOTIE Project with Brain Signal-Reading BCI Technology

Neofect, a digital healthcare company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, announced on January 30 that it will begin full-scale development of a brain-computer interface (BCI) in partnership with a Korea-Germany consortium.

This project is part of an international joint technology development program led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, with the goal of developing an upper limb assistive and rehabilitation robot system for stroke patients through brain nerve control. The core of the project is to integrate AI technology to enhance the intelligence of the BCI.

The development period is set for 36 months, from September 2025 to August 2028. Over the past five months, the consortium has specified the scope of technology development and has been sequentially verifying key development suitability.

The consortium consists of four institutions: Neofect from Korea, the research team of Professor Baek Namjong at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital (Department of Rehabilitation Medicine), Charit? Berlin University Hospital from Germany, and Imagine.

These organizations have formed a "One Team" that has maintained close collaboration for the past five years. In a previous project led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (from August 2021 to January 2025), they jointly developed a BCI prototype. While the previous development focused on verification of a prototype, the current project is significant in that it aims for commercialization.

BCI is a technology that analyzes multiple biosignals, such as a patient's electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG), using AI algorithms to understand the patient's intentions and precisely control robots based on this data.

Globally, Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Merge Labs, founded by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, are competing for technological leadership in the BCI sector.

Baek Myunghoon, CEO of Neofect, stated, "While most BCI companies are focusing on products for the general public, Neofect is pursuing a strategy specialized in rehabilitation and treatment devices for patients. We are currently in discussions with domestic affiliates regarding the development of robotic hands for industrial sites, and we plan to expand and apply our accumulated BCI technological capabilities to industrial settings."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.