Brain-to-Brain Communication System BrainBridge: First Intercontinental Mind Link Validated

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On November 18, 2028, Zhejiang University's College of Brain Science and Brain Medicine and Neuralink jointly announced the completion of BrainBridge's first intercontinental test. A volunteer in Hangzhou successfully transmitted a set of basic concepts and emotional states to a volunteer in New York via brain signals.

BrainBridge operates in three steps. Step one is brain signal decoding: through high-density EEG caps or implantable BCIs, neural activity patterns are read from the sender in real time. Step two is semantic encoding: an AI system transforms neural activity patterns into transmittable semantic data packets. Step three is signal writing: through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or focused ultrasound, semantic data packets are converted into neural stimulation patterns in the receiver's brain.

In the intercontinental test, the transmission distance was 12,000 kilometers with an end-to-end latency of 280 milliseconds. For basic concepts (colors, shapes, simple emotions), transmission accuracy reached 85%. For complex thoughts (complete sentences or abstract concepts), accuracy dropped to approximately 40%.

"This is not telepathy," emphasized project co-lead Professor Zhang Xu of Zhejiang University. "This is a new communication modality — using brain signals to replace text and speech. Imagine being able to directly transmit an image or a feeling to another person without needing to describe it in words."

Technical challenges remain enormous. The human brain's neural encoding is extraordinarily complex, and current decoding precision can only handle relatively simple information types. Additionally, significant differences exist between individuals' neural encoding patterns — BrainBridge requires weeks of personalized calibration for each user.

Military and intelligence agencies have shown keen interest. DARPA has funded development of a military version targeting voiceless communication within tactical squads. China's military is conducting similar research.

Ethical concerns are equally prominent. Brain-to-brain communication means one party's mental activity can be read by another — even after semantic abstraction, this constitutes an intrusion on mental privacy. China's Cyberspace Administration has released draft guidelines requiring explicit consent from both parties in brain-to-brain communication, with brain data prohibited from being stored outside local systems.