Do you hate needles? In the near future, the fear of needles would be a thing of a past. Bioengineering students at the University of California, Berkeley have developed the MicroJet. It uses an electronic actuator that could one day propel vaccinations, insulin or other drugs through the skin of the patient - without the device even touching the skin - with far less pain than a hypodermic needle.
The researchers modified a traditional syringe by taking out the needle and adding a tiny piezoelectric actuator that propels the liquid out of the tube. The actuator expands or contracts in response to an applied voltage. Because the MicroJet's source of power is electrical rather than mechanical, its range of control is continuous, allowing a far higher level of customization than the jet injectors used today.
They were able to control the jet velocity of the MicroJet from 33 meters per second up to 140 meters per second. The amount of liquid they were able to eject ranged from 45 nanoliters to 140 nanoliters. They tested the MicroJet on agarose gel to mimic human skin and found that they could vary the penetration depth of the liquid from 1 to 8 millimeters.
While they have not yet started tests on humans, the researchers said the range of the injector is well beyond what would be needed to deliver drugs through human skin. Current jet injectors have less control over the volume and speed of drug delivered as compared to the MicroJet.
The precision of the MicroJet could one day make it a good candidate for microsurgery as well as for delivering arthritis drugs into the joints of hands and knees, areas that are too shallow for hypodermic needles. The researchers even joke that the MicroJet injector could be used to make getting tattoos much more bearable.
