IIT Bombay develops needle-free syringe for painless injections

CALLED A 'SHOCK SYRINGE', IT USES HIGH-ENERGY SHOCK WAVES, WHICH TRAVEL FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF SOUND, TO DELIVER DRUGS

- Niraj Pandit

MUMBAI: Say goodbye to the fear of needles, the syringe just got a painless upgrade. Holding out much promise is a prototype of a needle-free syringe developed by a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. Believe it or not, this potentially ground-breaking syringe was inspired not by medicine but by the world of aerospace engineering.

Called a 'shock syringe', it was developed by a team led by Prof Viren Menezes of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT-Bombay. The breakthrough offers an alternative for patients who fear needle pricks, often leading to missed vaccinations and delayed treatments.