“MIT researchers have engineered a device that delivers a tiny, high-pressure jet of medicine through the skin without the use of a hypodermic needle. The device can be programmed to deliver a range of doses to various depths — an improvement over similar jet-injection systems that are now commercially available.”
So, as StarTrek.com acknowledged, this is not new technology as much as a significant innovation over existing jet-injection systems. Take a look at the video, and I’d encourage you to stay through the end in order to get some of the seriously cool applications.
Here’s an abstract of the formal research published in Medical Engineering and Physics. You’ll need to pay for the paper or rely on a library subscription to read it all.
Among the innovations is a significant level of control over the velocity of the jet, including the ability to penetrate the skin at one velocity and distribute the drug at another velocity. And the ability to inject a powdered drug as though it was a liquid? The mind continues to boggle.