In a recently published paper, a research team described their development of a small ultrasound patch that can provide high-resolution images of what lies beneath when stuck to the skin.
A WIRED report describes a patient entering a clinic for an ultrasound procedure for his stomach; he lies down on crinkly paper on top of an exam table.
In a paper published today in Science, a group of researchers describe their development of a tiny ultrasound patch that, when stuck to the skin, can provide high-resolution images of what lies underneath. https://t.co/fPOdUg8MiS
— WIRED (@WIRED) July 28, 2022
Here, a clinician spreads a thick gel on the patient's abdomen, then presses a tiny probe into it to deliver acoustic waves to the body of that particular patient.
Such Waves bounce off their soft tissues and fluids, returning to the probe to be translated into a 2D image. Meanwhile, as the probe moves over the person's stomach, a blurry black-and-white image appears on the screen for the clinician to read.
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Wearable Ultrasound That Looks Like a Postage Stamp
Although ultrasound technology is a staple in many medical settings, it is frequently big and bulky. Therefore, mechanical engineer Xuanhe Zhao from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology aims to miniaturize and simplify the whole process and make the device wearable.
The researchers hope that the technology described in their research published in the Science journal can make ultrasound comfortable for longer-term monitoring, perhaps even more at home instead of at a doctor's clinic.
Zhao explained that since ultrasound equipment is very large and needs an office visit, the machine's imaging capabilities are frequently "short term, for a few seconds," limiting the ability to determine how an organ changes over time.
For instance, physicians might want to find out how a patient's lungs change after taking medication or exercising, something that is hard to attain during an office visit.
To address the problems, the researchers developed a patch, roughly one square inch in size and a few millimeters thick, that can be practically placed anywhere on the body and worn for a few days. Zhao described their invention as looking "like a postage stamp."
Sticker Device That Communicates with a Mobile Phone
The researchers demonstrated that the sticker devices could produce live, high-resolution images of major blood vessels and deeper organs like lungs, stomach, and heart in healthy volunteers, an Interesting Engineering report specified.
The stickers remained attached to the participants' skin and captured changes in underlying organs for up to 48 hours as they carried out various activities such as standing, sitting, biking, and jogging.
Even in their present form, the devices could be applied to hospital patients and could continuously image internal organs minus necessitating a technician to hold a probe in place for a long time.
Zhao, a professor of mechanical engineering and civil and environmental engineering at MIT, explained that they envision a few patches adhered to different parts of the body, and the patches would communicate with a patient's cellphone where artificial intelligence algorithms would analyze the images on demand.
The professor added they believe they have opened a new era of wearable imaging-with a few patches on the body, one could see his internal organs.
Information about the ultrasound patch is shown on MIT's YouTube video below:
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