We have all had our blood drawn at some point. Some of us have had it done more than others, while some folks who suffer from health conditions, like diabetes, have to draw their blood daily. The pain of the pin prick is more than physical, it can be annoying and sometimes difficult. However, news of an innovative medical device that would painlessly take a patients blood could be on the rise.

Developed by researchers at startup Tasso Inc., there's no needle, just a ping pong ball-sized device that attaches to the arm? How would that work? Well, the disposable device functions as a delicate vacuum, that instead of drawing blood from a single tubular area the way a needle does, suctions blood from multiple microscopic vessels, called capillaries. It's self-administering, meaning any patient can simply hold the device up against his or her skin, and the blood collects into an attached container. It can extract up to .15 cubic centimeters of blood, which is usually enough for most routine lab analyses like cholesterol, cancer and infection screening, as well as blood sugar tests performed by diabetic patients (Gizmodo).

The program is being funded by DARPA, which also hopes to design specific preservatives for keeping the blood sample fresh for up to one week, meaning no need to rush the samples on ice. There is obviously an important factor of cost here. For anyone who needs blood testing done, despite the frequency, this device could replace expensive equipment and machines. The distributing company could even ship the device to customers for the blood draw, then they could simply mail the sample back to the lab for analysis. Tasso is still tweaking the technology, and expects the device to be out of its trial phase and onto the FDA for approval later this year.