Sydney researchers are getting ready to conduct human trials next year of a smart chip, which, when implanted in the spinal cord, can measure and stop pain signals from traveling to the brain.
The technology, targeting chronic pain, was developed in Sydney by National ICT Australia (NICTA) over the last two years by experts in biomedical, electrical and mechanical engineering, as well as textile technology and software applications.
The smart chip is put into a bio-compatible device, which is a little smaller than the head of a match. A couple of the devices are sewn into a 1.22mm wide micro-lead made from polymer yarn and electronic wires. The wires are then inserted into the spine (or elsewhere) and connected to a device containing a battery and a computer processor. The battery can be charged wirelessly.
Oh goody, when you grab that hot pot you won’t feel the pain while your skin burns. I can’t wait for the lawsuits.
I think medical marijuana is cheaper, safer and more fun.
this is spinal tap.. our pain goes to 11..
Give me a knife and I make your pain go away forever for cheap.
Just call me at 1 800 CUT-CORD. I never had a customer complain after surgery. I accept all major credit cards and give a 5% cash discount.
And if you call in the next 5 min I will also throw in a free tonsillectomy, ice cream not included.
Can someone say military use?
# 5 Angel H. Wong
I think I can
mil..ita…ry u…se
Hows that for first try.
Sign me up!
This could open up a whole nest of problems. #1 has it right. Pain is your body’s way of stopping you from harming yourself.
All teh people on compo now have no excuse, except the fact they will damage themselves more if they are unable to feel the pain.
there is a reason we have pain sensors.
this is the equivalent of putting fluoride or lithium in the water. we will feel better because we wont be able to think about nor comprehend all the bad things being done to us by the gov.
I’m reminded of the movie “Terminal Man”. Though that was about a chip stopping brain seizures. But it was badly programmed, and ended up rewarding the brain for having seizures. Zapping the spinal cord according to certain parameters, probably won’t result in violent robotic actions. But I’d still be wary of what I could do, without having an off switch.
BTW, I’ll just bet the US Army is taking a look at this tech, in regards to their ongoing “super soldier” research.
No Pain, no Gain.
Chronic back pain can be torture.
Some phantom pain can do the same thing and yes an amputated nerve can still tell your brain that your arm/whatever hurts.
I thought it read “Sydney Scientists Beat Palin with Spinal Chip”…my bad.
There are three things MS afflicted people have an innate understanding of:
• Spasticity,
•”phantom limb” syndrome or phantom pain and
• psychotic* imbalance resulting from having parts which are supposed to provide sensation instead reporting total nothingness.
Because its affects the Central Nervous System (CNS) wiring of and in the brain, all of the symptoms are meta and not related to actual things being wrong.
How would you like have to scratch when you can’t be sure where it itches? (A symptom and test for MS is to have the patient put his hands behind his back and to touch one of the fingers on one of the hands. The patient will report a sensation of being touched but not be able to tell you which finger, or even which hand.)
How would you like to suddenly find your arms or legs are not where you thought they were, or to suddenly discover that they aren’t there at all.
Having MS has taught me a whole lot about the nervous system, its proper functioning and how “meta” this disease truly is (hard to diagnose because the patient does not, can not, report problems at the level where the damage has actually occurred.**)
The brain and CNS are an endless source of fascination for me and most neurologists; though some are inept and incompetent semi-simian, pill-pushing, big-pharma tool-using troglodytes who specialized in neurology because there are no “neurological emergencies,” midnight calls or having to wear a beeper.
* Psychotic does not mean “demented”; it just means a mental process.
** The answer to the question “Where does it hurt?” means nothing. Something took the equivalent to a pair of wire strippers to the myelin sheath cabling of the bi-directional*** nervous system and there are cross-talk distortion, spurious noise and breaks on the incoming signals and out-going signals.
*** the difference between sensory and affective nerves is one imposed by the “devices” at the end of the nerve, its not a defined function. That’s why there can be reflexive action, muscle memory and a certain degree of plasticity in the brain.
Sorry to be waxing pedantic above, but I find the brain and CNS fascinating…
Oh, #14, I thought it said “Palin” too at first.
This technology is not new. It is based as far as I understand on neuromodulation for the treatment of Chronic Pain which I have. Neuromodulation for the treatment of pain has been used now for decades.
This is like an upgraded version of your mobile phone. Instead of leads in the case of eg a spinal cord stimulator, chips are now going to be used. Less invasive for the patient. Plus if it works it gives your live back to you.
Chronic Pain is pain that lasts for more than 3 months. In many and most cases it is life long torture. Meds just dull the pain and in the case of CRPS it ranks higher on the pain scale than having a baby for the first time or having a digit amputated. It is like having constant boiling water being poured on your skin. Up to 17% of the pop. are in constant pain.
Soon to be used for Women’s “Push-Button Orgasm” system ?
sweet bio-cuffs.
i veto everyone getting one of these, additionally to their standard identification rfid chip. you just wont do a single step if some control freak prefers you to stay where you are.