Ultrasound Stickers To See Internal Organs: A New Research
Ultrasound Stickers, the stamp-sized device adheres to the skin and may give continuous ultrasound imaging of inside organs. When doctors want live pictures of a patient’s internal organs, they frequently turn to ultrasound imaging for a safe and noninvasive look inside the body. Trained professionals use ultrasound wands and probes to guide sound waves into the body in order to acquire these enlightening pictures. These reflected waves are utilized to create high-resolution pictures of a patient’s heart, lungs, and other deep organs.
Ultrasound imaging now demands the use of large, specialized equipment that is only available in hospitals and doctor’s offices. However, a novel design designed by MIT engineers may make the technology as wearable and accessible as buying Band-Aids at the drugstore.
The researchers described the innovative ultrasound sticker design in an article published on July 28 in the journal Science. The stamp-sized device adheres to the skin and may give 48 hours of continuous ultrasound imaging of inside organs.
The experiment of Ultrasound Stickers on participants
The researchers placed the stickers on participants to illustrate their technology. They demonstrated that the gadgets created real-time, high-resolution pictures of major blood veins and deeper organs including the heart, lungs, and stomach. The stickers retained a strong adherence and continued to capture changes in underlying organs when the participants conducted various activities such as sitting, standing, running, and bicycling.
The stickers must be attached to equipment that transforms the reflected sound waves into visuals in the present design. Even in their current condition, the stickers might have instant visualization. For example, similar to heart-monitoring EKG stickers, the devices might be affixed to patients in the hospital and continually photograph internal organs without requiring a technician to keep a probe in place for lengthy periods of time.
The team is presently working on making the devices function wirelessly. If they are effective, ultrasound stickers may be developed into wearable imaging goods that patients may take home from a doctor’s office or even purchase at a medical shop.
Researcher’s Vision of this device
“We foresee a few patches adhering to various areas on the body, and the patches would interact with your cellphone, where AI algorithms would evaluate the photos on demand”. “We feel we’ve ushered in a new age of wearable imaging: You might observe your internal organs with a few patches on your body.” Xuanhe Zhao, professor of mechanical engineering and civil and environmental engineering at MIT explains.
Reference Article
“Bioadhesive ultrasound for long-term continuous imaging of diverse organs” by Chonghe Wang, Xiaoyu Chen, Liu Wang, Mitsutoshi Makihata, Hsiao-Chuan Liu, Tao Zhou, and Xuanhe Zhao, 28 July 2022, Science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.abo2542
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