In recent years, the advancement of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and brain-computer interfaces has brought a glimmer of hope to more people with disabilities. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, how will Sichuan promote the development and application of technology products for disability support, so that technological progress benefits more people with disabilities? "The new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is empowering all industries, and it also offers new hope for people with disabilities to overcome physical barriers and better integrate into society," said Chen Lan, Vice Chairperson of the Sichuan Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation, on September 28 at a themed press conference held by the Information Office of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government as part of the "Myriad Vistas of Sichuan: Starting the '15th Five-Year Plan' with Vigor" series.

Chen Lan gave a vivid example: for the new brain-computer interface technology, whether invasive or non-invasive, the industry generally believes that the most important application scenarios are medical treatment and rehabilitation. In Jinjiang District of Chengdu, the "China Western Brain Valley" has already taken the lead nationwide, with 28 brain-computer interface enterprises gathered there, forming scalable and practical commercialization results. Among them, a new autism diagnosis and treatment system applying brain-computer interface technology has already been implemented in Chengdu and has served more than 6,000 children.

In recent years, Sichuan has vigorously promoted technology for disability support and has jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting Technology for Disability Support" with ten departments including the Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology, establishing a working mechanism for technology-enabled disability support. In the next five years, Sichuan will focus its efforts in three areas.

First, strengthen research and development of technology for disability support. Together with the Department of Science and Technology, we have incorporated technology for disability support into the plan for building a strong province through science and technology, and established a reserve bank for problem research and key tasks. We will implement research and development in frontier fields such as organ regeneration and repair, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, and biomedicine for disability support, and promote the inclusion of no fewer than 20 technology-for-disability-support project needs in the provincial science and technology research and development guidelines for people's livelihood. We will support schools in jointly building concept verification centers and pilot testing platforms with enterprises and service organizations for people with disabilities. We will support qualified research institutions in applying for national and provincial-level science and technology innovation platform bases in the field of disability support. We will strengthen the cultivation of leading talents and innovation teams in technology for disability support, and support qualified talents in this field in applying for the "Tianfu Emei Plan" and the "Tianfu Qingcheng Plan." We will support interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaborative research, encourage social capital to participate in building innovation consortia, and form a joint force for research breakthroughs.

Second, accelerate the commercialization of technology achievements for disability support. We will work with relevant departments to focus on five major industries—intelligent assistive devices, exoskeleton robots, brain-computer interfaces and human-computer interaction, humanoid robots, and accessible smart homes—and guide market entities to strengthen research and development of products such as rehabilitation equipment, service robots, and intelligent guide, hearing assistance, and mobility assistance products. We will support relevant enterprises in carrying out collaborative innovation integrating industry, academia, research, and application, and explore advancing integrated development of basic research, product development, advanced manufacturing, and sales promotion. We will guide and support industrial funds in investing early, in small projects, for the long term, and in hard technology in the field of disability support.

Third, cultivate application scenarios for disability support. We will focus on five major categories of scenarios—rehabilitation, education, employment, accessibility, and public services for people with disabilities—to promote innovative applications of new technologies, new products, and new business forms related to disability support, formulate a list of technology-for-disability-support scenarios, organize supply-demand matching for disability-support technology products and scenarios, and cultivate and develop 10 key application scenarios. We will organize industry associations and others to develop and promote standards for disability-support products and services, encourage the adoption of models such as "parks within parks" to cluster disability-support technology innovation enterprises, and carry out exhibitions, experiences, and verification of new disability-support technologies, products, and services. We will focus on supporting Chengdu in leveraging its role as a national key contact area for technology-enabled disability support and continue to promote the construction of the "China Western Brain Valley."

"Through the above measures, we hope to promote the application of more new technological breakthroughs in the development of programs for people with disabilities, truly enabling those who cannot see to see, those who cannot hear to hear, and those who cannot stand to stand up," said Chen Lan.