China unveils bionic auditory neural interface capable of understanding sound

Chinese researchers led by Xu Wentao at Nankai University have developed the world’s first bionic auditory neural interface that can not only restore hearing but also understand sounds by creating a complete artificial auditory circuit that senses sound, encodes it neuromorphically, processes semantics, and outputs bioelectrical signals—demonstrated in deaf rabbits with restored perception and command recognition, paving the way for clinical and industrial applications.