Ultrasound sticker allows you to get images of internal organs

MIT engineersInstitute has developed a tiny sticker that can continuously transmit ultrasound images of internal organs for 48 hours. The new study has been published in the journal Science.

Everyone who has undergone an ultrasound is familiar with the application to the skinthick cold gel, it is necessary to ensure that ultrasonic waves are clearly transmitted from the sensor to the internal organs and back. Over time, this gel can dry out or run off the skin, so long-term ultrasonic treatments require constant reapplying.

One of the biggest innovations in this developmentis the creation of a hydrogel, which is enclosed in a thin membrane of elastomer. This creates an ideal stretchable, elastic material that can adhere to the skin and still effectively transmit ultrasonic waves.

Another part of the device contains a hard arrayfrom hundreds of tiny ultrasonic transducers. Combining a dense sensor array with an elastic hybrid of elastomer and hydrogel allows the sticker to consistently acquire images of internal organs for a long time, according to co-author Chongye Wang.

Using the device, the researchers were able towatch the stomach expand and then contract as the volunteer drinks a glass of juice. Other tests have demonstrated how the device can watch muscles as a person lifts weights, potentially informing the user when they should stop exercising before they are damaged.

The team is currently working on making the device wireless so it can hypothetically interact with a smartphone app.

Source: newatlas