Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA have developed an innovative ultrasound sticker that can continuously image organs for 48 hours. The innovative solution has a chance to revolutionize the work of hospitals and, perhaps in the future, it will be delivered to patients at home. This will not only shorten the queues, but also allow for a fuller insight into their actual health condition. How does such a sticker work?
- Scientists at MIT have developed a fully functioning ultrasonic sticker that scans human organs and blood vessels. It can also be used by pregnant women to examine the fetus
- Tests on volunteers have proven that the sticker does not come off during physical activity, and the image obtained by it is clear and legible
- Engineers are working to improve the design and are preparing a version that would connect to the patient’s smartphone, making it possible to “monitor on demand” in real time
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The ultrasound imaging tools currently available on the market allow you to look closely at internal organs such as the heart and liver, and to see how the fetus develops during pregnancy. However, they are large, expensive and require the work of a highly skilled technician.
MIT engineers created a postage-stamp-sized sticker that, when placed on the human body for up to 48 hours, was used. performs continuous imaging of internal body functions without the need for external intervention. This was reported by the journal Science.
Similar designs have been developed in the past, but engineers have encountered numerous problems with image quality and flexibility. In the case of the MIT project, however, such problems are to be avoided, all thanks to the combination of rigid drivers with a stretchy, sticky layer that surrounds the water-based hydrogel layer. The hydrogel is crucial for the operation of the invention of the engineers from MIT, because without it, as in classic ultrasound devices, a scan cannot be performed.
You can arrange an ultrasound examination, among others in Medonet Market.
Ultrasonic stickers can revolutionize ultrasound testing
Scientists tested the stickers on volunteers, placing them on different parts of their bodies, including the neck, abdomen, chest and arms. The task of the people taking part in the tests was to navigate with them and to perform activities where, in theory, they could fall off or give unreliable results.
So the volunteers lifted weights, ran, rode a bike or sat down and got up. The stickers not only did not come off, but also adhered to their bodies all the time, giving clear images of their internal organs and main blood vessels for up to 48 hours. inclusive. Thanks to the test, the researchers checked how the the shape of the heart as blood is pumped while exercising.
Currently, the stickers need to be linked to the appropriate data collection instruments, but in the future scientists want to improve them so that they can operate wirelessly and communicate with the patient’s smartphone, enabling real-time ‘imaging on demand’.
—We are working hard on the wireless version. As wireless handheld ultrasound tools at the point of care are now available, we are confident that we will be able to achieve a wireless (sticker) version within a few years, MIT Professor Xuanhe Zhao, involved in the project, told Guardian.
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