On the evening of December 18, 2025, the ‘AI Xi’an Night,’ guided by People’s Daily and hosted by People’s Daily Online, took place at Xi’an International Conference Center. Leaders including Chen Jianwen (Editor-in-Chief, People’s Daily), Li Jun (Vice Governor, Shaanxi Province), Ye Zhenzhen (Deputy Editor-in-Chief, People’s Daily), and Ye Niuping (Deputy Secretary of Xi’an Municipal Party Committee and Mayor) attended, along with Professor Zhang Fuli, Vice President of our university. As part of the 2025 Corporate Social Responsibility Forum, ‘AI Xi’an Night’ showcased cutting-edge AI achievements and breakthroughs from Xi’an’s universities and enterprises, demonstrating ‘AI+’ empowering various industries. Professor Xie Songyun’s team from the School of Artificial Intelligence made a stunning debut with their ‘Brain-Controlled Drone Swarm Technology,’ vividly illustrating NPU’s core strength in advanced ‘AI+’ fields.

Technology Achieves Dreams: Live Demonstration of ‘Mind Control’

At the event, an immersive technological feast commenced as an AI robot’s baton illuminated the night sky. During the technology showcase, Professor Xie Songyun introduced the scientific principles behind ‘brain-controlled drones.’ The team then demonstrated live: an operator, wearing an EEG cap and focusing on a flickering screen block, enabled the system to accurately capture and convert brainwave signals into flight commands. Witnessed by the audience, the drone swarm gracefully changed formations in the air according to the operator’s ‘will,’ achieving a spatiotemporal connection from ‘thought’ to ‘action’.

Two Decades of Dedication: Deep Cultivation in Brain-Computer Interface Frontier

The seemingly simple ‘mind-controlled movement’ is the result of over two decades of silent dedication by NPU faculty and students.

As a national ‘Double First-Class’ university, our institution consistently focuses on global scientific frontiers and major national needs. Since 2002, with university support, Professor Xie Songyun’s team has conducted innovative interdisciplinary research in brain science and artificial intelligence. Xie Songyun stated, ‘The seemingly simple demonstration before you embodies over 20 years of dedication from hundreds of faculty and students, enduring dozens of failures and iterative innovations.’ This technology has now reached an internationally advanced level. Through precise extraction and rapid response systems, the team successfully overcame technical challenges like weak EEG signals and high noise interference, enabling BCI technology to transition from the laboratory to complex application environments.

Technology Leads the Future: From Breakthroughs to Industrial Applications

At ‘AI Xi’an Night,’ our university’s brain-controlled technology demonstrated not only the beauty of science but also the warmth of technological service. This technology has achieved initial applications and is rapidly being commercialized. In the future, brain-controlled drone technology is expected to integrate deeply with robotics, medical rehabilitation, education and training, and other fields, bringing tangible benefits to people’s lives. During the event, related achievements also supported the launch of the ‘AI Xi’an’ industry empowerment initiative. Our students will continue to uphold the motto of ‘Justice, Integrity, Courage, Perseverance’ and the spirit of ‘Three Realities and One Innovation,’ producing high-level research and contributing NPU’s strength to the high-quality development of the AI industry in Shaanxi Province and the nation.

（Text: Xie Xinzhou, Li Bohan Review: Bai Junqiang）