Taiwanese researchers said on Friday they had developed a cellphone-powered chip to treat backpain.

Lin Chi-wan, a biomedical engineer at National Taiwan University, said the chip was implanted directly into the sufferer's back but drew electricity from a power source in his or her cellphone.

According to the team, this marks a departure from existing spinal cord stimulators, which are kept going by implanted batteries, making them more cumbersome for patients to use.

"We have finished an animal trial for the new device and got good results," said Lin.

The coin-sized chip, the result of six years of research, is equipped with two electrodes that transmit electromagnetic waves to alleviate pain.
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