Design and characterization of ultrasonic transducer array system for targeted non-invasive treatment

This paper presents the design, simulation, and experimental characterization of an ultrasonic transducer array system using open-source hardware for targeted non-invasive therapeutic applications. Two array geometries, Uniform Rectangular Array (URA) and Concentric Circular Array (CCA), were evaluated based on their pressure field distributions and beam focusing capabilities. The design process is described together with numerical simulations and experiments and reveals URA’s superior acoustic focusing and pressure uniformity. Developed largely through undergraduate research, this work represents an engineering proof-of-concept conducted at 40 kHz, which is below the medical therapeutic range (1–4 MHz). While this work does not imply its efficacy in biological systems or direct clinical applicability at present, it lays the groundwork for non-invasive therapeutic ultrasound systems with future design optimization aimed at applications such as cystic fibrosis and neurological conditions.