HP Thermal Inkjet Could Lead to Painless Injections

Imagine going to the doctor and instead of that shot in the arm, how about wearing a patch. This is what Hewlett-Packard Co. researchers have developed to help the medical field; a patch made with thermal inkjet technology found in printers that can painlessly administer the drug to the patient. The patch uses microneedles to inject the drug just below the patient's skin and can be programmed to precisely control the amount and timing of each dose delivered.

Okay, true, the inkjet technology in the patch isn't exactly the same as that used in the printers. The HP printers use a superheated vapor explosion that lasts just two-millionths of a second to deliver a drop of ink to a piece of paper. The patch employs a modified version of this technology, using a different material that expands when heated to deliver the drug.

The patch's microneedles penetrate the skin, but just not deep enough to impact the nerves so it is virtually painless. Equipped with basic electronics and a power source, the microneedle patch measures roughly 2.5 centimeters square, and is 3 millimeters thick. The patch will pack between 400 to 1,000 microneedles and include a power source, such as a battery, as well as electronics to control when drugs are administered and in what quantity.