Scientists have devised a machine that can help women achieve 'emphatic' orgasms at the push of a button.

Slightly smaller than a packet of cigarettes, the device uses electrodes attached to the patients spine, with orgasms being triggered by a remote control.

The machine is not intended for a mass market looking to spice up their day at whim or expedite their sexual encounters however, but for women who normally struggle to achieve orgasm.

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North Caroline surgeon Stuart Meloy told New Scientist how he conjured up the idea while performing a procedure on a female patient.

"I was placing the electrodes and suddenly the woman started exclaiming emphatically," he said. "I asked her what was up and she said, 'You're going to have to teach my husband to do that'."

Clinical trials of the machine are due to commence later in the year, with Meloy adding that it could help couples with withering sex lives.

"If you've got a couple who've been together for a while and it's just not happening any more, maybe they'll get through it a bit easier with this," he said.

Instant orgasms come at the cost of rather invasive surgery however, with CBS Charlotte detailing the procedure thus:

'During the operation, a patient would remain conscious so that a surgeon could correctly pinpoint the right nerves to fit the electrodes in a patient's spinal cord. Then, a signal generator would be connected which would be most likely implanted under the skin of a patient's buttocks.'

"It's as invasive as a pacemaker, so this is only for extreme cases," Meloy explained.

In other incredible medical science news this week, a team of researchers at the University of Illinois produced a 3D-printed 'electronic glove' that could help keep your heart beating for ever.