Human Brain-Computer Data Connection Standard Led by Korea

Korean Proposed BCI Format Approved by International Standards Organization

South Korea will lead the international standard for brain-computer interface (BCI) technology that connects the human brain to computers to control various devices such as automobiles.

The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 11th that a new international standard proposal for BCI data formats, proposed by South Korea, was approved at the BCI International Standardization Committee General Assembly held from the 4th to the 7th in Hangzhou, China.

BCI technology gained attention as Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, conducted research on implanting computer chips into the human brain through the neuroscience startup Neuralink. This technology can be applied in various industries such as medical and mobility, enabling people with physical movement difficulties to operate computers conveniently or allowing people to drive cars using only their thoughts without holding the steering wheel.

The newly approved international standard proposal aims to establish a data format standard for interfaces that collect brain information using a 'non-invasive' method that does not implant devices directly into the human brain. The core content is to define the scope of common and essential data and use a unified data format to ensure interoperability among currently disparate BCI device manufacturers.

The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards expects that once the standard proposal is finalized as an international standard through related discussions and the data format is unified, it will promote the industrialization of BCI and reduce product development costs.

International standards are finalized through processes including New Proposal (NP) approval, Working Draft (WD) development, Committee Draft (CD) preparation, and Draft International Standard (DIS) preparation. This new international standard proposal was developed through a Korean national standard technology enhancement project led by Professor Cho Young-im of Gachon University.

After the approval of the new international standard proposal, a working group (WG) will be established to advance related discussions, with South Korea serving as the temporary chair of the working group. The BCI International Standardization Committee, established last year, has 11 full member countries including China as the chair country, South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, and Belgium.

Under the committee, two working groups discussing the 'basic' and 'application' fields were already operating, and an additional working group to specifically handle the data standard proposed by South Korea will be created. Jin Jong-wook, head of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, stated, "The advanced digital technology industry is evolving to the stage of connecting the human brain and computers," and added, "We will actively support South Korea to take the lead in the BCI International Standardization Committee, which is at its initial stage."

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