A laser device for less painful injections has been developed by South Korean scientists. The system could replace traditional needles, with a jab as painless as being hit with a puff of air. The laser is already used in aesthetic skin treatments. The aim now is to make low-cost injectors for clinical use. A team from Seoul National University in South Korea describe the process in the Optical Society’s journal Optics Letters. The researchers write that the laser, called erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet, or Er:YAG, propels a stream of medicine with the right force to almost painlessly enter the skin. The jet is slightly larger than the width of a human hair and can reach the speed of 30m (100ft) per second. (via BBC News - Laser injection less painful than needles)
The Star Trek hiss injector is on its way! :D
This is many levels of cool - including the trekiness of it, and fewer screaming children. Which really, if you think about it, is a win for everyone. Except maybe evil villains.
(via skepticalavenger)
