| abstract |
An active needle device (10) for fluid injection or extraction includes at least one hollow elongated shaft (11) defining at least one channel (12). The channel (12) provides communication between at least one input port (15) and at least one output port (16) of the needle device (10). At least one active component (17) such as a sensor or actuator is placed or integrated into the elongated shaft (11). The needle device (10) can include a macroneedle, a microneedle (21), or an array of macroneedles or microneedles (25a). The microneedles (21) can be fabricated on a substrate (26) which can remain attached to the microneedles (21) or be subsequently removed. The active component can facilitate biochemical, optical, electrical, or physical measurements of a fluid injected or extracted by the needle device (10). |