Smartphone-controlled microneedle patch could offer drug-free pain care from afar

A "wearable electroceutical" has been developed that could reduce the need to visit a hospital or rely on painkillers every time pain occurs. When attached to the skin, it modulates pain through electrical stimulation and can be remotely controlled via smartphone even across long distances, such as between Korea and the United States.

A joint research team led by Professor Jae-Woong Jeong from the School of Electrical Engineering at KAIST and Dr. Sanghun Lee from the KIOM (Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine) has developed a wearable electroceutical platform that combines a wireless microneedle (fine needles that adhere to the skin) electroceutical with Internet of Things (IoT)-based remote-control technology.

The research is published in Nature Communications. A key feature is that a single small skin-attached device integrates stable electrical stimulation, smartphone-based remote control and automatic stimulation based on the body’s physiological state. Once its efficacy and safety are validated with actual patients, the technology may be used for personalized pain management at home or in daily life.

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