Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) could enable unique applications in medical imaging, healthcare, human-machine interfaces, and point- of-care testing. This work presents the first time pMUTs are implemented for biological age assessment via growth plate detections. Traditionally, the biological age can be examined by sophisticated equipment in a lab such as by DNA methylation and telomere attrition [1]. We propose a novel method with three key advancements: (1) a wearable ultrasound device for biological age detection by a compact pMUTs chip; (2) a beamforming scheme with a viewing window of 60 degrees and resolution of 0.14 degrees; and (3) growth plate measurement on the ulna and radius within the wrist with a thicknesses of 2 mm. As such, this work opens the potential to detect diseases such as endocrine disorders by a wearable pMUTs device.
Keywords: {Micromechanical devices;Wrist;Ultrasonic transducers;Semiconductor device measurement;Ultrasonic imaging;Ultrasonic variables measurement;Array signal processing;Bones;Biology;X-ray imaging;MEMS;pMUT;Healthcare;Ultrasound Imaging;Piezoelectric},