Unexpectedly, Meloy had stumbled onto a solution that could help thousands of women who can't achieve orgasm. Recognizing the opportunity, he patented this use of the device, and is trying to work with Medtronic, a Minneapolis company that makes the spinal cord stimulator, to market it as a remote-control orgasm machine.

Meloy hopes human clinical trials will begin later this year.

An Orgasmatron like in the movie Sleeper is probably not around the corner, however. Even for back pain, the device is used only after all other possibilities are exhausted. The procedure is about as invasive as a pacemaker, Meloy said.

Still, Meloy hopes the effect is reproducible. He's witnessed induced orgasms twice so far, he said.

To treat back pain the surgeon places an electrode in a precise spot in the patient's spine in order to find the specific nerves carrying his or her pain signals to the brain.

Meloy said that to induce orgasm, the stimulating wires could connect to a signal generator smaller than a packet of cigarettes implanted under the skin of a patient's buttocks.

"Then you'd have a hand-held remote control to trigger it," he said.

Various issues can cause a woman to have difficulty achieving orgasm, said Jim Pfaus, who studies the neurobiology of sexual behavior at Concordia University in Montreal.

"Some women confuse what's called sympathetic arousal (in orgasm) -- like increased heart rate, clammy hands, nerves and so on -- with fear," he said in a statement. "That makes them want to get out of the situation."

The problem is often treated with psychotherapy or Valium, but the drug can also delay orgasm, Pfaus said.

Meloy said he hopes the device will help couples overcome problems associated with orgasmic dysfunction. "If you've got a couple who've been together for a while and it's just not happening anymore, maybe they'll get through it a bit easier with this," he said.

He added that the device could be programmed to limit its use. "But whether it's once a day, four times a week -- who am I to say?"