Apr. 16, 2015 | By Alec
Are you one of those people who hates getting shots? Who avoids going to the doctor as much as possible because he might pull out a needle? Well in that case, there is a 3D printed solution for your agony. Three freshman students from Rice University in Houston, Texas, have developed a handy little device called Comfortably Numb that will numb any part of your body well enough to receive an injection without feeling pain from it.
The team, which is made up of Greg Allison (computer science), Andy Zhang (bioengineering) and Mike Hua (mechanical engineering), has already developed a functioning prototype capable of producing an excellent numbing effect in just 60 seconds. People who’ve been given numbing solutions for injections before will immediately recognize that this is extremely fast; most solutions currently used by doctors either numb a very large part of the body, don’t numb well enough or take up to an hour to work – leaving you sitting in the doctor’s office trembling in fear. The secret of this new Comfortably Numb? The 3D printed device mimics the cooling reaction produced by cold packs, but then on a very small and precise surface area of the skin.
As the trio of students revealed on their university’s website, 3D printing technology enabled them to make a small handheld device featuring to sealed compartments. ‘Our (lab) device is 3D printed and consists of two sealed chambers containing the chemical ammonium nitrate and water,’ Hua says. As with ice packs, mixing the two components instantly cools the solution. ‘A simple twisting motion moves the chambers into alignment to allow the chemicals to flow through the chamber to produce a rapid endothermic reaction. We then numb the skin by contacting the device’s metal surface to the patient’s skin.’
As fellow student Allison added, this interesting device has a lot of potential applications. ‘We are targeting anyone who has to get an injection, which is nearly everyone,’ he says. ‘But the device is especially applicable to people who are more susceptible to pain such as the elderly and children.’ He added that it is especially effected for procedures that require injections in sensitive and small areas of the body ,such as the face or the groin area. The numbing effect it creates already does very well on the comparative pain scales that most hospitals use. ‘We’ve done simulated trials where we basically hold a pen up against a ruler and press down 5 millimeters — we know what that feels like — apply the device, press it down 5 millimeters again and gauge based on the comparative pain scale, which is something hospitals already use, ‘ Allison said.
But the ambitious trio of students are already thinking about other applications as well. Their device can also be used, for instance, in reducing swelling and applying tattoos and piercings. ‘We looked into all sorts of methods for numbing, both quick and long-term, chemicals, using ice packs — which is similar to what we’re using now,’ Hua said. ‘At the end of the day, what we’re creating is a self-contained device with a very cold contact surface, and there are many applications for that,’ co-developer Allison added. Whatever the application, the team are currently envisioning Comfortably Numb to be a one-use device, as cleaning and resetting it is time-consuming and not really convenient for nurses.
The ongoing project is being guided by Ann Saterbak, Bioengineering’s director of laboratory instruction, Jane Grande-Allen, Professor of Bioengineering, and faculty mentor Dr. Wettergreen. As the students are just freshmen, they obviously needed a lot of guidance and advise, as they simply hadn’t yet learned most of the skills necessary. 'That’s kind of the amazing thing about our project because we don’t have these incredibly refined skills in certain areas; that meant that we had to think of very simple solutions,’ Allison said. ‘Being limited in that way led to something that is very novel and innovative but at the same time simple and elegant.’
3D printing technology has obviously proved perfect in keeping the costs of this project down. ‘The materials for one of these [devices] cost about a quarter, and then we just had to do estimates based on how much manufacturing would cost. We compared our device to similar things already in production, and we’ve estimated the cost at about $2.’ Zhang says. As the project is still ongoing, the three students haven’t yet made up their minds about what to do with it. However, they are already applying for a provisional patent and plan to continue working on this device during their sophomore year. ‘We haven’t really discussed yet whether we’re going dedicate to making this a company, but it’s something we’re open to,’ Allison concluded.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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Ice melts? - The chemicals are likely to be more stable and stored at a wider variety of conditions and temperatures. Its more of a novelty or niche product than something that would be widely used. It could be used for kids in Third-world countries or in rural areas where ice may be a luxury.
common sense isn't so common wrote at 4/16/2015 5:25:07 PM:
Or what about just leaving a cylindrical piece of metal in the freezer and just pulling it out whenever you need it to numb something then just put it back in the freezer when done. No need for consumable chemicals.
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