Athletes or elderly people that suffer joint or musculoskeletal pain could be treated in the future with a strapped patch that pulses therapeutic ultrasonic waves.
The patch, from Cambridge based company Sonovia, has also been designed to seep treatment such as anti-inflammatories and analgesics into the skin.
Peter Luebcke, inventor and founder of the company, said at present there is not a product on the market that offers such ultrasonic therapy and drug delivery at the same time.
The technology, which is currently a working prototype, incorporates an array of transducers within a thin, flexible patch. The patch is connected by a thin wire to a control unit that can be mounted on a person’s belt.
“The transducers effectively sweep an ultrasonic field across the patch”
While the unit is still in the design stage, Luebcke said it will likely contain a rechargeable battery, display and pre-programmed modes for the rhythm and frequency of the ultrasonic pulses.
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