An Innovation for Pain Relief That’s Worthy of Some Buzz
Amy Baxter, an emergency pediatrician in Atlanta, created a high-frequency vibrating ice pack that helps disrupt pain signals on their way to the brain. She stuck a cute striped bee on the front, won a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, and the product now known as Buzzy was born.
Baxter’s first prototype was a bag of frozen peas and an electronic fitness massager, whose black and yellow color scheme survives today.
MMJ Labs
She had originally used it just on patients at the hospital where she worked, and on her son, who was finally able to face his fear of shots with Buzzy by his side. But she was anxious to share her solution with other kids.
“Every time I saw a child being held down … I felt guilty,” she says. “I felt like I should run in there with the Buzzy prototype I had in my pocket.”
More: An Innovation for Pain Relief That’s Worthy of Some Buzz : All Tech Considered : NPR