UC San Diego Researchers Develop Flexible, Stick-On Ultrasound Patches to Image Hard-to-Access Areas
Orange County, CA - April 5th, 2018 - In order to overcome the limitations of today’s ultrasound devices, a new stretchable and flexible ultrasound patch has been developed by researchers at the University of California San Diego. Traditional ultrasound probes are difficult to use on objects that have curved, wavy, angled, or other irregular surfaces. Additionally, conventional ultrasound probes have flat and rigid bases, which do not maintain effective contact when scanning uneven surfaces. With the newly developed patch, ultrasound imaging on odd-shaped structures, such as engine parts, turbines, elbows, and knees, is no longer limited.
Traditional ultrasound devices are considerably restrictive, said Sheng Xu, a professor of nanoengineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and the study’s corresponding author. “Nonplanar surfaces are prevalent in everyday life,” he said.
“Elbows, corners and other structural details happen to be the most critical areas in terms of failure- they are high-stress areas,” said Francesco Lanza di Scalea, a professor of structural engineering at UC San Diego and co-author of the study. “Conventional rigid, flat probes aren’t ideal for imaging internal imperfections inside these areas.”
To create better contact between the ultrasound probe and the surface it is examining, gel, oil, or water is traditionally used. However, these substances can still filter some of the signals the probe is trying to pick up. Conventional probes are also cumbersome, making hard-to-reach parts very impractical. As an example, Xu referenced mechanics that are required to fully immerse entire car engines in water just to get a proper 3D image for a crack in a hard-to-reach location. Because of these complications, the UC San Diego team created the ultrasound patch that can affix to any surface without water, gel, or oil.
The new probe is made up of a thin patch of silicone elastomer patterned with an array of small electric parts that are connected by spring-like structures, called an “island-bridge” structure. The electric parts contain electrodes and devices called piezoelectric transducers, which produce ultrasound waves when electricity passes through them. The spring-like structures are made up of copper wires that stretch and bend. This property allows the patch to conform to nonplanar surfaces without compromising the electric functions.
To test their device, researchers placed the patch on an aluminum block with a wavy surface. The block contained defects two to six centimeters below the surface. The research team placed the patch at various spots on the wavy surface, collected the data, and then reconstructed the images using a custom algorithm. The patch was able to successfully image the holes and cracks under the surface of the block.
“It would be neat to be able to stick this ultrasound probe onto an engine, airplane wing, or different parts of a bridge to continuously monitor for any cracks,” said Hongjie Hu, a materials science and engineering Ph.D. student at UC San Diego and co-first author of the study.
The patch is still in the proof-of-concept stage and is patent-pending. It does not yet provide real-time imaging, and also needs to be connected to a power source and a computer to process data. “In the future, we hope to integrate both power and a data processing function into the soft ultrasound probe to enable wireless, real-time imaging and videoing,” Xu said. The research was published in the March 23 issue of Science Advances.
Contact Ampronix:
Email: info@ampronix.com
International Sales: +1 949-273-8000
Domestic Sales: 1800-400-7972 for US and Canada
Follow Us:
Share This Article:
View our Product Catalog Online Here
About Ampronix
Ampronix is a renowned authorized master distributor of the medical industry's top brands as well as a world-class manufacturer of innovative technology. Since 1982, Ampronix has been dedicated to meeting the growing needs of the medical community with its extensive product knowledge, outstanding service, and state-of-the-art repair facility. Ampronix prides itself on its ability to offer tailored, one-stop solutions at a faster and more cost-effective rate than other manufacturers. Ampronix is an ISO & ANSI/ESD certified facility. To learn more go here.
UC San Diego Researchers Develop Flexible, Stick-On Ultrasound Patches to Image Hard-to-Access Areas Orange County, CA – April 5th, 2018 – In order to overcome the limitations of today’s ultrasound devices, a new stretchable and flexible ultrasound patch has been developed by researchers at the University of California San Diego. Traditional ultrasound probes are difficult to […]