Self-Positioning Stimulation Patch for Brown Adipose Tissue Activation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for treating obesity, including surgical and pharmaceutical approaches, are invasive, costly, and often ineffective in achieving lasting weight loss, with a need for non-invasive and efficient activation of Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) to increase energy expenditure.
Innovation Solution
A self-positioning transdermal electrical stimulation patch is designed to generate an electric field within the supraclavicular fossa region, using anatomical landmarks for accurate placement, to activate BAT deposits, which can be manufactured inexpensively and used without assistance, incorporating electrodes and a power source that may be positioned entirely within or outside the target area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If surgical procedures are used to treat obesity, then weight loss can be achieved, but invasive procedures, post-operative pain, wound infection risk, and cosmetic scarring occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/surgical intervention with electrical stimulation. Instead of physically altering the body through surgery, the invention uses electrical fields delivered via transdermal patches to stimulate sympathetic nerves and activate brown adipose tissue, thereby substituting a mechanical system with an electrical field-based system to achieve weight loss without invasive procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces brown adipose tissue (BAT) as an intermediary mechanism. Rather than directly removing fat or altering digestion through surgery, the invention stimulates BAT to act as a metabolic intermediary that burns fat stores and generates heat, thereby mediating weight loss through a physiological pathway that avoids surgical intervention
2Object-affected harmful factors
If transdermal electrical stimulation patch is used to activate BAT, then non-invasive weight loss can be achieved, but proper positioning accuracy is difficult to ensure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables self-positioning of the patch using the patient's own anatomical landmarks. The method provides self-contained positioning instructions that allow the user to independently locate and apply the patch to the correct supraclavicular fossa region without requiring external assistance or complex positioning equipment, thereby making the system self-sufficient for accurate placement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visual markers and anatomical landmarks as visual guides for patch positioning. By incorporating visible reference points on the skin surface, the system provides visual feedback that helps users accurately locate the supraclavicular fossa region and correctly position the patch, similar to how color changes or visual indicators guide positioning in other applications
3Measurement precision
If complex positioning methods are used to ensure accurate patch placement, then positioning precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses simple, readily available anatomical landmarks that the patient can identify themselves without requiring complex positioning devices, sensors, or external assistance. This self-service approach to positioning maintains high accuracy while minimizing device complexity and cost
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified model or representation of the target area using anatomical landmarks and visual markers. Instead of requiring complex imaging or sensing systems, the method uses a simplified visual guide system that replicates the essential positioning information, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining positioning accuracy
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The patch effectively activates BAT, enhancing energy expenditure and weight loss without invasive procedures, improving metabolic outcomes and reducing the risk of complications associated with surgical interventions.
Implementation Method 1
An electric field is generated using the electrical stimulation patch to activate the brown adipose tissue within the supraclavicular fossa region of the body
Implementation Method 2
When activated, BAT removes free fatty acids (FFA) and oxygen from the blood supply for the generation of heat. The oxidative phosphorylation cycle that occurs in the mitochondria of activated BAT
Data Source
AI summary
Self-positioning of at least a portion of a transdermal electrical stimulation patch within a target area (e.g., supraclavicular fossa region) of a human body to activate a depot of brown adipose tissue therein. An electric field is generated using the electrical stimulation patch to activate the brown adipose tissue within the supraclavicular fossa region of the body. The patch is self-positioned using one or more anatomical points (e.g., anatomical landmarks and/or anatomical features) or markings on the body. Brown adipose tissue may also be activated by applying an electrical signal to a body piercing partially implanted proximate a target area in which the tissue is disposed.