The elastography monitoring system can provide ongoing, non-invasive mapping of deep tissues which can be used to measure progression of diseases such as cancer, which normally causes cells to stiffen, as well as monitoring muscles, tendons and ligaments to diagnose and treat sports injuries.
“We invented a wearable device that can frequently evaluate the stiffness of human tissue,” said Hongjie Hu, a postdoctoral researcher and study co-author.
“In particular, we integrated an array of ultrasound elements into a soft elastomer matrix and used wavy serpentine stretchable electrodes to connect these elements, enabling the device to conform to human skin for serial assessment of tissue stiffness.”
Ultrasound patch worn on the neck
Image credit: UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
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