HP Skin Patch May Replace Needles

Iddo Genuth writes "HP and Crospon have developed a skin patch employing microneedles that barely penetrate the skin. The microneedles can replace conventional injections and deliver drugs through the skin without causing any pain. The skin patch technology also enables delivery of several drugs by one patch and the control of dosage and of administration time for each drug. It has the potential to be safer and more efficient than injections."

In speculative fiction for a while

[Anonymous Coward]

Micro-needles have been part of science fiction for at least 15 years. In Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash [amazon.com] , one character has a sedative-filled needle implanted on her cervix in order to incapcitate a rapist.

Consider the potential abuses

[Bozzio]

If this patch is reusable it could become the method of choice for heroin addicts.

On the other hand, it would be much safer than using needles.
You can't really share these, I assume.

Tattoos

[Nefarious Wheel]

I could imagine instant tattoos -- patches with designs on them, subcutaneous injection of inks.

Just add alcohol.

Stinging nettle

[lmpeters]

This actually sounds kind of like how stinging nettle works. I recently touched some by accident, and I can assure you, the needles on the surface of that leaf are so small that I couldn't feel them at all.

The cocktail of formic acid and histamines contained within the needles, on the other hand, were quite noticeable (ouch!). Of course, I'm assuming that HP is not planning to use this invention to deliver anything that's painful by design.

Re:Consider the potential abuses

[blind monkey 3]

Could this method be used to "wean them" off drugs? Controlled dosage and all that....

Novelty?

[$pearhead]

How is this microneedle-thing different, from eg. this [diva-portal.org]?

Re:Now we need sensors in those patches

[kaizokuace]

When you talk about administering chemicals according to the situation I think of the futuristic body armor suits in many sci-fi writings. Most recently in Mass Effect where your suit can have first aid upgrades that inject you with all sorts of stuff. I would like to see performance enhancing drugs administered. Maybe when adrenaline spikes in your body (from imminent car accident or even someone tries to attack you) some drugs that increase reaction times and pain killers or whatever get shot into your blood stream.