Investigation of novel pain reduced tattooing machine utilising ultrasonic energy

“Active Needle Technology Limited”“Ant”是一种新型超声波针头“驱动器”技术的开发商，该技术利用超声波振动的特性来帮助针头通过身体组织。最重要的是，超声振动被证明可以减少针的插入力和组织损伤。蚂蚁已经开发出一种医疗活检针，必须深入人体，才能收集组织样本进行医学测试。超声波振动不仅可以使针更容易进入体内，还可以提高组织样本采集的准确性(减少针的偏转)。在发育过程中，蚂蚁注意到活跃的针在皮肤上有麻木的感觉。在咨询了疼痛管理专家后，蚂蚁相信超声波振动会干扰皮肤的神经功能，从而减少皮肤中针的疼痛。对未经优化的针头进行的初步测试表明，这种效果是真实的。该公司迫切希望评估主动针技术的使用情况，并利用其在超声波方面的专业知识来减少与纹身相关的疼痛和创伤。这使企业能够进入一个潜在价值比医学活组织检查市场大一个数量级的市场，但这在重建手术中也很重要，例如在乳房手术后切除假乳头。这项应用使蚂蚁能够：*研究和开发一种功能性的主动针纹身机原型；*进行关键的主体测试：1.使用人类志愿者来确定机器是否比传统的纹身方法更痛苦；2.通过咨询纹身艺术家，确定主动针刺机是否可以被纹身艺术家接受。这个项目使申请者能够进入一个巨大的全球潜在市场，这个市场估计每年价值约16亿美元。这个项目的创新之处在于：目前纹身机器的工作频率很低(类似于荧光灯的闪烁频率)，纹身在皮肤中来回摆动几毫米。这项创新是在针头中引入非常高的频率(即超出人类听力范围的微振荡)，以缓解通道并减少纹身接受者感受到的疼痛。

"Active Needle Technology Limited ""ANT"" are the developers of a novel ultrasound needle ""driver"" technology that exploits the properties of ultrasonic vibration to aid the passage of needles through the tissues of the body. Crucially, the ultrasonic vibration is proven to reduce the needle insertion force and tissue trauma. ANT have developed a medical biopsy needle that must be inserted deep into the body to collect tissue samples for medical tests. The ultrasonic vibration not only eases the passage of the needle into the body, but also has the added benefit of improving the accuracy of tissue sample collection (reducing the deflection of the needle).During development, ANT have noticed a numbing sensation of the active needle on the skin. In consultation with an expert in pain management, ANT believe the ultrasonic vibration interrupts nerve function in the skin therefore reduces the pain of the needle in the skin. Initial tests on un-optimised needles have shown that the effect is real. The business wishes urgently to evaluate the use of the active needle technology and leverage its expertise in ultrasonics to reduce the pain and trauma associated with tattooing. This enables the business to access a market with a potential value an order of magnitude larger that is order of magnitude larger than the medical biopsy market, but that is also important in reconstructive surgery, e.g. addition of a false nipple following post-surgical resection of the breast. This application enables ANT to:* Research and develop a functional prototype active needle enabled tattooing machine;* Conduct to key body of tests:1. One: using human volunteers to determine if the machine is less painful that conventional tattooing methods;2. Two: In consultation with tattooing artists, determine if the Active Needle tattooing machine is acceptable to tattooing artists.This project enables the applicant to access a huge global potential market that is estimated to be worth approximately $1.6 bn p.a. in the US alone.The innovation in this project: current tattooing machines operate at low frequencies (similar to the flicker rate of a fluorescent lightbulb) and oscillate back and forth by a few millimetres into the skin. This innovation is to introduce a very high frequency (i.e. beyond the rage of human hearing) micro oscillations hundredths of a millimetre) in the needle to ease the passage and reducing the pain felt by the tattoo recipient."