It promises to make having blood drawn or getting injections far more comfortable and stress-free, but outside of a few testers (who are probably being well-compensated) who among us is willing to give a robot like the VenousPro a taste for human blood—specifically your blood?

Using infrared and ultrasound imaging the VenousPro is able to see right through the skin on a human’s arm to the veins below, allowing it to pinpoint the ideal spot for a needle insertion. It’s also designed to make the whole needle ordeal less painful for a patient using both an ultrasound-activated topical anesthetic patch it automatically applies, and a rock-steady robotic hand which guides the needle in without any tremors.


The most unsettling part is how the machine clamps down onto a patient’s arm to help keep it steady during the procedure. It obviously helps make the experience less painful, but it doesn’t do much to help stress levels if someone is already nervous about needles—or robots. On the plus side, it looks like this machine could be easily modified to be the world’s first home tattoo printer so you could get ink done from the comfort of your own living room. [VascuLogic via IEEE Spectrum]