Breakthrough AI-Enabled Implant Offers Personalized Chronic Pain Relief Without Opioids
July 5, 2025
This study highlights the potential of AI in creating adaptive electrical stimulation therapies for chronic pain management, offering a promising alternative to traditional opioid treatments.
Current management of chronic pain often relies on opioids, which are associated with addiction and severe side effects, leading to over 100,000 overdose deaths annually.
Researchers from the University of Southern California and UCLA have developed a groundbreaking AI-enabled wireless implant designed to personalize spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain relief.
Future developments may focus on making the device smaller and less invasive, potentially allowing for syringe-based implantation and incorporating smartphone control for enhanced patient personalization.
The new device leverages piezoelectric wireless charging, converting mechanical waves into electrical signals, thus eliminating the need for invasive battery replacements seen in traditional stimulators.
Philips N.V. is positioned as a key player in health technology, ready to integrate such innovations into its existing medical devices and expand its reach in the healthcare market.
This innovative pain management system features a flexible ultrasound-induced implantable stimulator, a wearable ultrasound transmitter, and an AI deep learning algorithm that classifies pain levels as slight, moderate, or extreme.
Once pain levels are classified, the AI adjusts the ultrasound transmitter's energy to control the intensity of electrical stimulation, providing tailored pain management without the use of drugs.
The implant utilizes AI and neural networks to adaptively manage pain by analyzing brain signals and adjusting stimulation levels in real-time, achieving over 94% accuracy in pain classification during tests on laboratory rats.
The urgency for non-drug pain management solutions has prompted research into personalized treatments that do not involve addictive medications.
Chronic pain affects over 51.6 million Americans, significantly impacting their daily lives and often co-occurring with anxiety and depression in about 40% of sufferers.
This innovative approach aims to provide effective pain management tailored to individual patients' needs without the use of addictive medications.
Summary based on 4 sources
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Psychology Today • Jul 5, 2025
A revolutionary AI-enabled wireless implant provides precision pain relief.
Psychology Today • Jul 5, 2025
A revolutionary AI-enabled wireless implant provides precision pain relief.
Psychology Today • Jul 5, 2025
A revolutionary AI-enabled wireless implant provides precision pain relief.
Securities.io • Jul 3, 2025
How AI-Powered Implants Could Replace Opioid Painkillers - Securities.io