Engineers from Iowa State University developed micro-tentacles that enable robots to handle delicate objects. “Most robots use two fingers. To pick things up, they have to squeeze,” said Jaeyoun (Jay) Kim, an Iowa State University associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and...

A “smart insulin patch” created by researchers at the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University detects increases in blood sugar levels and secretes doses of insulin into the bloodstream whenever needed.

To produce electricity, thermoelectric materials capture waste heat from sources such as automobile exhausts or industrial processes. Improving the materials' efficiency will require further reduction of thermal conductivity. A new article from a Georgia Institute of Technology professor clarifies...

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that yarn made of niobium nanowires enables more efficient supercapacitors. The new approach uses the yarns as the electrodes in tiny supercapacitors. Adding a coating of a conductive polymer to the yarn further increases the...

A mold developed by Cornell University researchers can shape liquid silicon out of organic polymer materials. The self-assembling organic polymers create a template dotted with precisely sized and shaped nanopores. The development could lead to exact single-crystal silicon nanostructures.

Researchers from Penn State University have worked with University of Texas at Dallas engineers to induce different two-dimensional materials to form directly on top of one another. The stacking approach achieves clean interfaces between layers — an important factor for novel nanoelectronic circuits.

Researchers from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China have developed a portable probe that uses near-infrared light to measure blood oxygen saturation in the tissue surrounding the neck's central internal jugular vein. The device allows doctors to continuously monitor a...

Here is the latest batch of news from the medical products community. Please click the link for more.

The FDA is seeking companies to take part in a pilot program that would allow medical device manufacturers to report malfunctions of certain low- and medium-risk devices on a quarterly basis. This pilot program will help the agency develop criteria for quarterly malfunction reporting...

The Emergo Group recently posted an advisory that the FDA has revised the fee charged for issuing medical device export certificates in response to higher costs and demand for these documents.

A laser created by a team at the University of Warsaw generates ultrashort pulses of light, even under extremely difficult external conditions like large temperature gradients of more than 120 degrees Celsius. The process of generating femtosecond laser pulses takes place within a specially...

By "crowdsurfing" motor proteins and using a succession of biological mechanisms, Sandia National Laboratories researchers have created linkages of polymer nanotubes that resemble the structure of a nerve, with many out-thrust filaments poised to gather or send electrical impulses. The...

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed an elastic patch that, when applied to the skin and stretched, delivers medicine. The patch releases the drugs as the elbow bends.

A University of Houston engineer has received funding to create a pediatric exoskeleton, designed to help children with spinal cord injuries and other mobility disorders. The exoskeletons will be customized to grow as the child grows.

A biosensor system developed by researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, measures heartbeat, hydration levels, sweat, temperature, and other vital signs through miniature circuitry. The system, embedded on a flexible, wearable patch, includes an antenna to...

A new technology developed at Duke University uses metamaterials and compressive sensing to determine the direction of a sound and extract it from the surrounding background noise. Once miniaturized, the device could have applications in hearing aids, cochlear implants, and ultrasound medical sensors.

Here is the latest batch of news from the medical products community. Please click the link for more.

A simple robotic gripper created by engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) can adjust its hold using the environment. The team's model predicts the force with which a gripper must push against surrounding fixtures in order to adjust its grasp. The new approach allows...

A new study from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development found that facial motion capture – the same technology used to develop realistic computer graphics in video games and movies – has been utilized to identify differences between children with...

Physicians and engineers at Johns Hopkins and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center have developed a computer platform that provides rapid, real-time feedback before and during facial transplant surgery. The achievement may someday improve face-jaw-teeth alignment between donor...

Researchers from the National University of Singapore have created an endoscopic probe that delivers adjustable-focus capabilities in a slimmer package. The miniature and solid tunable-lens technology enables compact optical zoom with autofocus capability. The device switches from a wide field-of-view...

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY) will lead a new Manufacturing Innovation Institute to secure US leadership in manufacturing integrated photonics. The new institute, announced by Vice President Biden, will focus on emerging technologies, including “needleless” tests for...

Researchers at Purdue University discovered a simple way to control a type of metal deformation known as sinuous flow. Supressing the deformation could reduce the energy required to process metals and lead to more efficient machining.

According to the FDA’s Center for Devices & Radiological Health, the agency has announced the fee rates and payment procedures for medical device user fees for fiscal year 2016, which begins October 1. The agency is raising the fees by 4.2%.

An interdisciplinary team led by Stanford electrical engineer Krishna Shenoy has developed a technique to make brain-controlled prostheses more precise. The prostheses analyze the neuron sample and instantly make dozens of corrective adjustments to the estimate of the brain's electrical pattern.

Only ambient air and DC energy are required to operate the system. Supplemental oxygen delivery systems are vital to provide a critical life support respiratory function. Whether they are used for patients suffering from lung diseases or other illnesses, to astronauts donning an oxygen mask...