this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2023
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Stuff like this should be great, but all I can think about is how capitalism will ruin it. Will they only make it an “service” available via subscription, and shut off your ability to walk if you don’t pay? Will it require expensive software updates, or only work if you’ve got wi-fi or a cellular connection? What happens to the patients if the company which owns this patented technology goes out of business?
Managing a chronic problem is much more profitable than curing it completely.
Think smaller - it will be determined 'not medically necessary' by insurance, and cost $100k out of pocket.
The company I work for makes similar devices. We make spinal chord stimulators https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_cord_stimulator and deep brain stimulators https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_brain_stimulation
The change in people is amazing. That said your estimate is not far off for cost of just the implantable generators, plus the leads. Add on cost of surgery and doctors bills and hospital stays and your probably under estimating.
Not to mention typically it's the last choice for pain treatment, so it's a the end of typically years of pain. Also it only lasts for about a dacade due to the battery so you will need to repeat the surgery and buy a new device periodically.
Why not make the battery port to be located outside of the body? So that you'll only replace the battery without changing the whole thing
It's a pacemaker battery. They use induction charging. A cable runs down the neck to connect to it. The charger just kind of magnets on there. The charger is also where you connect to the onboard software and choose what settings you want. Dad's had a specialized device for that. I can imagine a smartphone connection eventually, but with the security concerns I imagine that's not likely to happen soon.
You are almost completely correct. It does have wireless charging but like your cell phone eventually the life of a rechargeable battery wears and needs to be replaced.
That you are wrong about the last part. Our latest two generations actually use ipads for the doctors and iphones for the patient. I don't know too much about the security on them as that's my area of knowledge. That said unlike a pacemaker our devices don't keep people alive. They lessen movement disorders and reduce pain but people won't die if they get turned off.