Robotic blood takers
If you have ever suffered the pain and bruising caused by a doctor's inability to find a vein when a blood sample was needed, robotic help is on the way. Engineers at the Imperial College in London have developed a robot that can accurately pinpoint a vein to within a millimetre, says a report published in the current issue of New Scientist.
While the engineers accept that most people may prefer the human touch, they claim their robot can hit it right first time, every time. They won't overshoot the vein either, which is the common problem that causes bruising. It works on a 'primitive form of touch', gently probing different parts of the arm. Muscle is hard, fat is soft and veins feel 'like an under inflated balloon'.
The location of the vein is then displayed on a screen, and this allows a human operator to choose the best one. The robot then pierces the skin with the needle, gauging the force exerted until the moment the wall of the vein is breached, thus preventing overshooting. The approach to the problem has been applauded by anatomists who point out that not everyone's veins are the same size or depth, and this could be particularly useful in children or obese patients. It might also be a welcome relief to patients who must have a lifetime of treatment and who literally 'run out of veins'.