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In one way or another, you’re probably familiar with ultrasound technology. Although it is widely used in a huge variety of applications, you’re most likely to experience ultrasound technology in some sort of a clinic. In order to improve the application of ultrasounds, someone has to make better sensors to measure it. And now scientists from the University of Queensland have managed to do exactly that.
Ultrasound is widely used in a medical setting, often to examine pregnant women. Image credit: Leval via Wikimedia
Although ultrasound is commonly used to examine people in hospitals, especially pregnant women and people suffering from various heart conditions, its applications don’t end there. Ultrasound is commonly used in various cutting and polishing tools, dentistry, sonar imaging, laboratory equipment and many other areas. However, the efficiency and accuracy of these devices stands upon various sensors that are used to measure the reflection of ultrasound waves from various objects, such as human tissues. These sensors are usually quite bulky, but now scientists in Australia have figured out a way to integrate ultraprecise ultrasound sensors on a silicon chip.
Ultrasound is sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing – ultrasound devices operate from 20 kHz up to several gigahertz. So you can imagine that measuring these tiny vibrations is not an easy task for small sensors. Scientists combined modern nanofabrication and nanophotonics to create this silicon chip sensor. This technology is so accurate that it can detect miniscule random forces from surrounding air molecules. Scientists are calling this sensor “near perfect”, because despite being smaller than a millimetre across, it can measure ultrasound waves that apply extremely tiny forces . Scientists say that this technology is so accurate that it could actually change our understanding of biology.
Have you ever heard the sound of one bacterium? No and neither have scientists. But with this new technology they may attempt that. Dr Sahar Basiri-Esfahani, leader of the research, said: “This could fundamentally improve our understanding of how these small biological systems function. A deeper understanding of these biological systems may lead to new treatments, so we’re looking forward to seeing what future applications emerge”.
So far scientists are not talking about the timeframe that we’re looking at in terms of the development of these sensors. However, we believe it is going to take a while. But it will be interesting to see how these sensors will change various medical devices and if they will allow making new discoveries.
Source: University of Queensland