Paralyzed Chinese man builds thought-controlled wheelchair in 48 hours

A thought-controlled wheelchair earned a Chinese amateur engineer first place at a hackathon and a $7,000 prize. The prototype was developed in just 48 hours.

The project's author is Wang Ning, who was diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor in 2020. After two surgeries, he was completely paralyzed: during the worst period, he could only move his eyes. His condition later improved partially, but the experience drove him to create a device for people with disabilities.

Wang graduated from a fine arts faculty and had no programming background. In 2022, he began studying artificial intelligence and brain-computer interfaces on his own. In April 2026, together with his wife, who assisted in the research, he applied for a hackathon in Shanghai hosted by RedNote.

The prototype wheelchair uses a special headband that reads brain activity and converts it into movement commands. The device won the hardware category.

In July, the project was presented at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai. By then, the wheelchair had evolved into a full ecosystem: besides mobility, it can control lighting, air conditioning, and a video surveillance system.

Wang also developed a navigation app for wheelchair users, as well as games and rehabilitation tools for people with spinal cord injuries. He is now seeking funding to bring the project into mass production.