Wearable ultrasound patches can revolutionize traditional ultrasound medical applications by offering the capability for hands-free,long-term,and continuous diagnostics and treatment.However,current flexible ultrasoun...Wearable ultrasound patches can revolutionize traditional ultrasound medical applications by offering the capability for hands-free,long-term,and continuous diagnostics and treatment.However,current flexible ultrasound transducers have no control over the curvature and face challenges of low throughput and limited design space due to manual manufacturing.Here,we show flexible ultrasound transducers with flex-to-rigid statically adjustable curvature,which are fabricated using a hybrid wafer-scale microfabrication.The transducer exhibits excellent electrical and acoustic performances at a center frequency of 1.5 MHz and 3.4 MHz in immersion.To effectively utilize these characteristics,ultrasound was administered to the spleen of mice with arthritis.This treatment was conducted periodically over a two-week duration to evaluate its efficacy in alleviating symptoms of arthritis.The efficacy of the treatment was verified through continuous measurements of ankle swelling and gait analysis.We demonstrate the potential of continuous therapeutic interventions using a wearable ultrasound patch for anti-inflammatory treatment.展开更多
Pressure ulcers remain a persistent challenge in healthcare,particularly for individuals with limited mobility or compromised sensation.Early detection is critical to prevent ischemic damage leading to necrosis,infect...Pressure ulcers remain a persistent challenge in healthcare,particularly for individuals with limited mobility or compromised sensation.Early detection is critical to prevent ischemic damage leading to necrosis,infections,and prolonged hospital stays.Conventional sensing technologies that integrate into the mattress,while effective in gathering data on pressure distributions,are restricted to stationary environments,and they can miss significant periods when patients leave their beds or shift positions.Furthermore,these systems do not offer consistent information on the specific spatial distribution of pressure across the body,because the sensors integrate with the mattress and not the body.Recent research establishes capabilities in soft,skin-interfaced wireless alternatives,but in designs that require specialized processes and materials that might not scale effectively for practical production and use.Here,we present a wireless,skin-integrated pressure monitoring system that mounts on the skin,in anatomically matched forms and with soft mechanical interfaces,for continuous data collection.This platform,built on manufacturable components and designs,features an array of soft,elastomer-encapsulated pressure sensors that minimize discomfort,with wireless communications and an independent power management system to enable operation across diverse healthcare settings,including homes,outpatient facilities,and operating rooms,all without physical tethers.Additionally,an external alarm satellite device delivers vibratory and visual alerts if predefined pressure thresholds are exceeded,guiding caregivers or patients to take timely action.Experimental and finite element analysis support the design principles,and deployments on patients in hospital settings illustrate modes for practical use.展开更多
Due to its additional frequency response,dual-frequency ultrasound has advantages over conventional ultrasound,which operates at a specific frequency band.Moreover,a tunable frequency from a single transducer enables ...Due to its additional frequency response,dual-frequency ultrasound has advantages over conventional ultrasound,which operates at a specific frequency band.Moreover,a tunable frequency from a single transducer enables sonographers to achieve ultrasound images with a large detection area and high resolution.This facilitates the availability of more advanced techniques that simultaneously require low-and high-frequency ultrasounds,such as harmonic imaging and image-guided therapy.In this study,we present a novel method for dual-frequency ultrasound generation from a ferroelectric piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer(PMUT).Uniformly designed transducer arrays can be used for both deep low-resolution imaging and shallow high-resolution imaging.To switch the ultrasound frequency,the only requirement is to tune a DC bias to control the polarization state of the ferroelectric film.Flextensional vibration of the PMUT membrane strongly depends on the polarization state,producing low-and high-frequency ultrasounds from a single excitation frequency.This strategy for dual-frequency ultrasounds meets the requirement for either multielectrode configurations or heterodesigned elements,which are integrated into an array.Consequently,this technique significantly reduces the design complexity of transducer arrays and their associated driving circuits.展开更多
基金supported by the K-Brain Project of the National Research Foundation(NRF)funded by the Korean government(MSIT)(RS-2023-00262568)by a grant of the Korea Dementia Research Project through the Korea Dementia Research Center(KDRC),funded by the Ministry of Health&Welfare and MSIT,Republic of Korea(RS-2024-00355871)+3 种基金by the Korea Medical Device Development Fund grant funded by the Korea government(the MSIT,the Ministry of Trade,Industry and Energythe Ministry of Health&Welfare,and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety)(202013B05,RS-2020-KD000164)by Nanomedical Devices Development Project of NNFC(2710018585)by Samsung Electronics,and by BK21 FOUR(Connected AI Education&Research Program for Industry and Society Innovation,KAIST EE,No.4120200113769).
文摘Wearable ultrasound patches can revolutionize traditional ultrasound medical applications by offering the capability for hands-free,long-term,and continuous diagnostics and treatment.However,current flexible ultrasound transducers have no control over the curvature and face challenges of low throughput and limited design space due to manual manufacturing.Here,we show flexible ultrasound transducers with flex-to-rigid statically adjustable curvature,which are fabricated using a hybrid wafer-scale microfabrication.The transducer exhibits excellent electrical and acoustic performances at a center frequency of 1.5 MHz and 3.4 MHz in immersion.To effectively utilize these characteristics,ultrasound was administered to the spleen of mice with arthritis.This treatment was conducted periodically over a two-week duration to evaluate its efficacy in alleviating symptoms of arthritis.The efficacy of the treatment was verified through continuous measurements of ankle swelling and gait analysis.We demonstrate the potential of continuous therapeutic interventions using a wearable ultrasound patch for anti-inflammatory treatment.
基金supported by the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University.S.Y.acknowledges support from the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)grant(No.RS-2025-23525124)funded by the Korea government(MSIT)+4 种基金the BK21 FOUR program(Digital Anti-aging Convergence Research Group,Inje University)support from the National NaturalScience Foundation of China(12202241)support from the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)grant(Nos.RS-2022-NR072054 and RS-2020-NR049568)the Institute of Information&Communications Technology Planning&Evaluation(IITP)under the Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence Semiconductor(IITP-2025-RS-2023-00256472)grantfunded by the Korea government(MSIT),and the BK21 FOUR program(Connected AI Education&Research Program for Industry and Society Innovation,KAIST EE,No.4120200113769).
文摘Pressure ulcers remain a persistent challenge in healthcare,particularly for individuals with limited mobility or compromised sensation.Early detection is critical to prevent ischemic damage leading to necrosis,infections,and prolonged hospital stays.Conventional sensing technologies that integrate into the mattress,while effective in gathering data on pressure distributions,are restricted to stationary environments,and they can miss significant periods when patients leave their beds or shift positions.Furthermore,these systems do not offer consistent information on the specific spatial distribution of pressure across the body,because the sensors integrate with the mattress and not the body.Recent research establishes capabilities in soft,skin-interfaced wireless alternatives,but in designs that require specialized processes and materials that might not scale effectively for practical production and use.Here,we present a wireless,skin-integrated pressure monitoring system that mounts on the skin,in anatomically matched forms and with soft mechanical interfaces,for continuous data collection.This platform,built on manufacturable components and designs,features an array of soft,elastomer-encapsulated pressure sensors that minimize discomfort,with wireless communications and an independent power management system to enable operation across diverse healthcare settings,including homes,outpatient facilities,and operating rooms,all without physical tethers.Additionally,an external alarm satellite device delivers vibratory and visual alerts if predefined pressure thresholds are exceeded,guiding caregivers or patients to take timely action.Experimental and finite element analysis support the design principles,and deployments on patients in hospital settings illustrate modes for practical use.
基金supported by the Samsung Research Funding&Incubation Center for Future Technology(Grant No.SRFC-MAI702-03)National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)Grant funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT(grant no.NRF2020M3D1A2101933)supported by the Korea Medical Device Development Fund grant funded by the Korean government(the Ministry of Science and ICT)(Project no.1711196544)。
文摘Due to its additional frequency response,dual-frequency ultrasound has advantages over conventional ultrasound,which operates at a specific frequency band.Moreover,a tunable frequency from a single transducer enables sonographers to achieve ultrasound images with a large detection area and high resolution.This facilitates the availability of more advanced techniques that simultaneously require low-and high-frequency ultrasounds,such as harmonic imaging and image-guided therapy.In this study,we present a novel method for dual-frequency ultrasound generation from a ferroelectric piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer(PMUT).Uniformly designed transducer arrays can be used for both deep low-resolution imaging and shallow high-resolution imaging.To switch the ultrasound frequency,the only requirement is to tune a DC bias to control the polarization state of the ferroelectric film.Flextensional vibration of the PMUT membrane strongly depends on the polarization state,producing low-and high-frequency ultrasounds from a single excitation frequency.This strategy for dual-frequency ultrasounds meets the requirement for either multielectrode configurations or heterodesigned elements,which are integrated into an array.Consequently,this technique significantly reduces the design complexity of transducer arrays and their associated driving circuits.
