Imagine being able to manage chronic pain with a smartphone, stop taking strong painkillers, and fully continue with your life. A breakthrough in treating neuropathy has occurred with the latest technology: a smartphone-controlled spinal cord implant.
Thanks to this technological achievement, 69-year-old Robert Norri returned to his normal routine. For years, he suffered from severe pain caused by neuropathy, making it impossible to move without a cane or a wheelchair. Today, Robert Norri, an avid golfer, is back on the courts thanks to this innovative technology.
Robert Norri, who lived in Naperville, Illinois, and served as an executive director in the oil industry, developed neuropathy in his legs and feet after retiring. It was determined that this diagnosis was unrelated to his prior medical history. Norri recalls that the intense pain made movement difficult and that his treatment was ineffective.
Everything changed radically when Robert Norri consulted Dr. Joshua Penn, an expert in interventional pain management at UChicago Medicine. Dr. Penn offered the 69-year-old patient a new generation spinal cord implant, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved in late 2024. This device sends electrical signals to the spinal cord, blocking pain information from reaching the brain.
The implant, which is about the size of an AirPods case, was surgically placed in Robert Norri’s back in January 2025. This device allows Robert Norri to manage his pain level using a smartphone application.
“I control the implant with my smartphone. I can also control the pain with this app. When necessary, I increase the electrical impulses, and I reduce them when I feel good,” says Norri.
The Advance in Spinal Cord Stimulation
While spinal cord implants are already used in medical practice, there has been significant recent progress in this field. For example, it is now possible to monitor electrical signals and regulate them automatically in real-time. This is a smart system that constantly observes the processes in the body and automatically adjusts the level of electrical stimulation as needed.
This innovation is encouraging for patients suffering from neuropathy, Parkinson’s-related tremors, spinal cord injuries, and various forms of chronic pain.
According to Dr. Joshua Penn, spinal cord electrical stimulators are a good alternative to opioid painkillers, as opioids often cause dependence and become less effective over time. The implant, he says, saved Robert’s life and restored his ability to enjoy it.
“The technology saved me; I returned to my old life and am doing everything I ever wanted to,” said Robert Norri. He is now planning a trip to Canada, something he could not have imagined even going for a hike a year ago.
Scientists at the University of Chicago Medicine are actively working to make this device accessible to many more patients. Research is also ongoing to explore the full potential of the technology.
