Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Other

University of Illinois

The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

The University of Arizona

Canan Dagdeviren

John A Rogers

Marvin J Slepian

Robert Samuel Langer

Carlo Giovanni Traverso

Lin Zhang

Farita Tasnim

An ultrasound patch may conform to a curved surface of a large, curvilinear part of a human body, and may capture ultrasound images of underlying tissue for detection of disease. The patch may comprise a flexible, elastomeric substrate, in which phased arrays of piezoelectric ultrasound transducers are embedded. The phased arrays may steer ultrasound beams through a wide angle to image a large volume of tissue. Mechanical deformation of the flexible substrate as it conforms to a curvilinear body part may change the relative 3D positions of the phase arrays. However, localization may be performed to detect these 3D positions. Data captured by the phased arrays may be processed, to create an ultrasound image of the underlying tissue. A semi-flexible, intermediate layer may partially encapsulate each phased array, to distribute stress at an interface between the rigid phased array and more flexible substrate.

Methods and apparatus for imaging with conformable ultrasound patch

A conformable sensor module may conform to skin of a user's face. The sensor module may include multiple piezoelectric strain sensors. The sensor module may measure mechanical strain of facial skin that occurs while the user makes facial gestures. To do so, the sensor module may take a time series of multiple measurements of strain of the user's facial skin at each of multiple locations on the user's face, while the user makes a facial gesture. The resulting spatiotemporal data regarding facial strain may be fed as an input into a trained machine learning algorithm. The trained machine learning algorithm may, based on this input, classify a facial gesture. A computer may determine content associated with the classification. The content may be outputted in audible or visual format. This may facilitate communication by patients with neuromuscular disorders who are unable to vocalize intelligible speech.

Methods and apparatus for detecting and classifying facial motions

Improvements in ingestible electronics with the capacity to sense physiologic and pathophysiologic states have transformed the standard of care for patients. Yet despite advances in device development, significant risks associated with solid, non-flexible gastrointestinal transiting systems remain. Here, we disclose an ingestible, flexible piezoelectric device that senses mechanical deformation within the gastric cavity. We demonstrate the capabilities of the sensor in both in vitro and ex vivo simulated gastric models, quantified its key behaviors in the GI tract by using computational modeling, and validated its functionality in awake and ambulating swine. Our piezoelectric devices can safely sense mechanical variations and harvest mechanical energy inside the gastrointestinal tract for diagnosing and treating motility disorders and for monitoring ingestion in bariatric applications.

Flexible piezoelectric devices for gastrointestinal motility sensing

Materials and devices are provided for the sensing and manipulation of biomechanical and physiochemical properties of tissues or tissue surfaces. Examples of use include soft tissues such as skin or adipose tissues or more dense tissues such as muscle or heart or dense tissues such as bone. The materials and devices provide for in vivo measurements of biomechanical properties at the tissue surface, e.g. near surface regions of the epidermis or dermis or underlying structures. The devices can be non-invasive and/or non-destructive to the material and, especially for the biomaterials, can be biocompatible and/or biodegradable. The materials and devices can use ultrathin, stretchable networks of mechanical actuators and sensors constructed with nanoribbons of piezoelectric materials.

Systems, devices, and methods for contact measurement and modulation of material properties

Materials and systems that enable high efficiency conversion of mechanical stress to electrical energy and methods of use thereof are described herein. The materials and systems are preferably used to provide power to medical devices implanted inside or used outside of a patient's body. For medical devices, the materials and systems convert electrical energy from the natural contractile and relaxation motion of a portion of a patient's body, such as the heart, lung and diaphragm, or via motion of body materials or fluids such as air, blood, urine, or stool. The materials and systems are capable of being bent, folded or otherwise stressed without fracturing and include piezoelectric materials on a flexible substrate. The materials and systems are preferably fashioned to be generally conformal with intimate apposition to complex surface topographies.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Canan Dagdeviren