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Painless Needles Inspired by Nicotine Patch

HP Electronic Plaster

— November 8, 2007 — Unique
Scared of needles? Fret no more! According to Computer World, Hewlett-Packard has revolutionized its printing technology to squeeze larger than ever molecules into 150 micrometer large needles that are bundled onto an electronic plaster.

In fact, there are similar needles to those used to “inject” ink onto paper. Ok, there is still a needle involved, but it's no different to using a nicotine patch. In fact, that is where the idea originates. However, until now, only molecules as small as, say, nicotine were able to penetrate the skin without injection.

Now even bigger molecules can find their way into your body, without any pain. Not only does the electronic patch inject substances into your skin without reaching your oh-so-sensitive nerves, it can even be programmed to do so at a predetermined frequency, time or dosage.

See, you big sissy, that wasn't so bad (unless of course your doctor needs a blood sample).

My food for thought: Little tech-nurses like these seem to be overhauling the traditional job description of doctors and nurses. Soon, you might find yourself lying down on the surgery table next to the living room to get a liver transplant from your buddy, while watching the footy. Ok, that's a bit far fetched, but nonetheless, robots and computers are increasingly taking over the medical industry and we're bound to find more and more gadgets like these popping up to give our (western) society more on-demand, easy to use medical treatment. Seeing that as society ages and traditional family structures disintegrate into a single-person-household-society such inventions will become indispensable. After all, who will inject your butt with your next shot of anti-Alzheimer drugs, if not your automated plaster?
Trend Themes
1. Painless Injections - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Development of painless injection technologies that enhance patient comfort and facilitate drug delivery.
2. Programmable Electronic Patches - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creation of electronic patches that can be programmed to deliver substances into the skin at predetermined frequencies, times, or dosages, offering personalized and precise treatment options.
3. Tech-nurses and Automation in Healthcare - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Implementation of robots and automation technologies in the medical industry to optimize healthcare delivery, improve efficiency, and meet the changing needs of an aging and single-person-household society.
Industry Implications
1. Medical Device Manufacturing - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Production of advanced medical devices, such as painless injection systems and programmable electronic patches, to cater to the growing demand for user-friendly and personalized healthcare solutions.
2. Pharmaceutical - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Collaboration with medical device manufacturers to develop novel drug delivery systems that enhance patient compliance and comfort, opening up new avenues for pharmaceutical treatments.
3. Healthcare Robotics - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integration of robotics and automation technologies into healthcare settings to transform traditional medical practices, improve patient care, and address the challenges posed by an aging population.
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