A new invention is threatening to make Band-Aids a thing of the past.
The electrostatic and air-driven device -- or EStAD -- sprays loose fibers onto a biological surface, after which the fibers link together and form a bandage, the American Institute of Physics reports. "In spray painting, pressurized gas forces direct particles toward a surface, creating a sort of deposited material," says developer Lane Huston. "Like spray painting, the EStAD device is used by directing its nozzle at the desired surface during operation, causing a fiber mat to be deposited onto that surface."
Doctors can even mix medication in with the fibers to spray on a bandage with drug delivery capabilities, according to the Institute. Huston hopes the EStAD will help first responders, ER doctors and medical personnel at sporting events when wounds require immediate emergency treatment.