PillarWave

The technology, called PillarWave^TM, has now been patented and we’re in preparation of a spin-off company  to commercialise it. Specific structures that emit and receive sound waves are printed on very thin plastic film. Because it’s possible to print a great number of these structures over a large area, we can obtain a large area image of the organ to be examined.

Current ultrasound equipment is rigid and difficult to incorporate into patches, while sensors are small and difficult to scale to large areas.  PillarWave^TM technology enables us to make patches or other ultrasound sensors that are ultra-thin and flexible, have a large sensor surface and therefore a large field of view, and are much cheaper to manufacture in large numbers. Instead of silicon, which is expensive when used for large areas, our technology uses cheap plastic as a base material.

There are innumerable applications, which will make it easier to monitor patients’ health at home. Whereas measuring blood pressure or heart rate often produces a snapshot, wearing a patch provides images over a longer period of time. This results in a much better diagnosis and may even prevent unnecessary complications and subsequent hospitalisation. Many examinations can be performed at the GP’s surgery or at home instead of at the hospital, such as ultrasound monitoring of surgical patients, heart failure patients, critical pregnancies etc. This makes such examinations not only more pleasant, but also better and cheaper.

We’re keen to engage with market players who want join us in developing the PillarWave^TM technology further into promising devices.