WORLDTECHKAIST team builds gravity-free wearable patch for eyedrop delivery
A research team led by Professor Ki-Hun Jeong has developed a wearable patch that delivers eyedrops to the eye without depending on gravity, a difficulty that makes dosing hard in space. The account comes from Phys.org.
Patch design and the team behind it
The work was carried out by a research team at KAIST, led by Professor Ki-Hun Jeong of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering. He collaborated with a team led by Professor Se Joon Woo of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, according to the report.
Phys.org describes the device as a patch worn on the body that is designed to get eyedrops into the eye by means other than gravity.
Why eyedrops are hard to use in space
Applying eyedrops is difficult in space, where gravity is almost absent. On Earth, gravity draws a drop onto the eye and holds it there, a pull that the patch is meant to replace.
Publication and open questions
The findings appear in the journal Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. Every detail available so far comes from a single outlet, Phys.org, and the report gives no information on clinical testing or on whether the patch has been used in space.
Open questions
- Has the patch been tested in clinical settings?
- Has the device been used in space?