Smaller and Smaller Pain-Free Syringes Developed

Scientists have developed a tiny hypodermic syringe that can be used to give virtually pain-free injections. The breakthrough could potentially be very good news for people with diabetes, who require daily injections of insulin to manage their condition. Japanese medical equipment maker Terumo Corporation has developed a prototype needle that is just 0.2 millimeters (0.008 inches) in diameter.

It uses a tapering technique to administer a flow of drugs through an extremely fine tip. No super-thin hypodermic syringes had been developed until now for fear that they could not guarantee full, uninterrupted flow of liquid medicine.  Thought to be the smallest needle in the world, maybe not!  A separate group of Japanese researchers has developed a microscopic alternative with a diameter of just 60 microns (60 millionths of one meter). The device is connected to a miniature electric pump modeled on the mechanics of a mosquito bite.

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