7 Next-Gen Bandages That Help Heal Wounds

Gecko Bandage

The ability of geckos to scale vertical surfaces comes from the special topography of their feet: nano-size hairs gives their feet an adhesive property. Robert Langer, Jeffrey M. Karp and their colleagues at MIT created a gecko-inspired bandage, covered with synthetic versions of these hairs. The bandage can stick to wet surfaces—like the heart itself—and it biodegrades over time, meaning that surgeons can use it to help repair internal injuries.

QuikClot

The family of QuikClot products make use of kaolin clay, a natural blood-clotter. The tiny particles of aluminosilicate contained in the clay have been known for decades to trigger the body's clotting cascade. Bandages coated with these particles, made by Z-Medica Corporation, have already been used successfully on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan as well by law-enforcement and disaster-preparedness teams in the U.S. The newest product in the family, QuikClot Emergency Dressing, is designed to be used in hospitals and for everyday injuries.

Ultrasound Device

Forget bandages—make way for sound. George Lewis, a graduate student in biomedical engineering at Cornell University, developed a pocket-size machine that administers high-energy ultrasound waves. The waves are powerful enough that they can cauterize an open wound and stop it from bleeding—the tool's inventor foresees military medics and EMTs carrying the cell-phone-size devices in their pockets, allowing them to treat severe bleeds in the field.

Electric Bandage

Cut won't heal? Electrocute it. Research has shown that the skin's own microcurrents play an important role in wound healing. Clinical trials have now shown that a bandage that distributes mild electrical current across the surface of a wound significantly speeds healing—even for wounds that have proved resistant to other treatments. The surface of the bandage, a product of biotechnology company Vomaris, is covered in microbatteries which are inert when dry. Wetting the bandage activates the circuit, and small currents are applied over the surface of the wound.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health_medicine/4328266.html?page=7

Muh... Who knew?

But, then again, these devices are straight out of what used to be science fiction. What will they think of next?