CNN

If you're dreading your next flu shot, here's good news: Needle-free injection technology could be coming to a health clinic near you.

"I can't say it's entirely painless, because that's subjective," says Kathleen Callendar, 69, the founder of PharmaJet, a startup company based in Golden, Colo. "But it gives a more gentle injection -- kind of like a tiny rubber band snapping against you."

Rather than piercing the skin with a hypodermic needle, PharmaJet's spring-powered gadget uses a high-velocity stream of liquid to deliver vaccines or medications. The process takes less than one-third of a second.