Cornell University graduate student George Lewis is trying to shrink ultrasound devices to make them practical for any hospital or medical research lab. Lewis has developed a palm-sized, battery-powered ultrasound device powerful enough to stabilize a gunshot wound or deliver drugs to brain cancer patients. Current ultrasound devices can weigh 30 pounds and cost $20,000.
Lewis miniaturized the ultrasound device by increasing its efficiency. Traditional devices apply 500-volt signals across a transducer to convert the voltage to sound waves. However, half the energy is lost in the process. In the laboratory, Lewis has devised a way to transfer 95 percent of the source energy to the transducer.
Ultrasound is commonly used as a nondestructive imaging technique in medical settings. Doctors believe the ultrasound technology Lewis is developing could lead to such innovations as cell phone-size devices that military medics could carry to cauterize bleeding wounds, or dental machines that enable the body to instantly absorb locally injected anesthetic.
