All in the chip
Scientists say they've developed a chip to treat backpain
that is powered by mobile phone.
Lin Chi-wan, a biomedical engineer at National Taiwan
University said that the chip is implanted directly into the sufferer's back
but draws electricity from a power source in his or her mobile phone. Although scientists knew that spinal cord stimulators
which are powered by more cumbersome implanted batteries, work they were not
exactly practical.
Apparently tests on animals of the new chip proved very
successful. How they got animals to use mobile phones, Chi-wan did not say. The coin-sized chip is the result of six years of
research. It is equipped with two
electrodes which transmit electromagnetic waves to alleviate pain.
Soon it is going to be installed in its first human
patent. It will be interesting to see people with back pain suddenly relax when
someone calls them. Or they get a spam
SMS message.