Tech Briefs

High-Tech Imaging in Scattering Media for Medical Applications

The OASYS project aims to develop compact, energy-efficient, and highly integrated optoelectronic sensor components for applications in the life sciences and smart manufacturing. The project concentrates on two main research areas: MEMS-based hyper-spectral imaging for industrial and agricultural use, and high-resolution optical techniques for the life sciences, with a particular focus on imaging in scattering media.

Highly Sensitive Wearable Pressure Sensors Inspired by Cat Whiskers

This bioinspired design marks a significant step toward development of eco-friendly and highly sensitive wearable sensors, with broad potential in sports analytics and biomedical monitoring. Read on to learn more.

Breakthrough Surgical Device Makes Hip Arthroscopy Safer

There’s a new tool in the hands of surgeons making waves through the world of hip arthroscopy. Jacob Segil, a research professor at CU Boulder, collaborated with Dr. Omer Mei Dan from the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine to create a redesigned surgical instrument called the CAP-LIFT cannula. Read on to learn more.

Center to Develop Wearable Ultrasound Imaging for Real-Time Monitoring of Chronic Conditions

The Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology has launched a new collaborative research project — Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care (WITEC). Read on to learn more about it.

Advanced High-Repetition-Rate Lasers Drive Next-Gen Imaging

By overcoming some of the traditional constraints in pulse frequency, energy output, and tuning speed, tunable high-repetition rate OPO lasers will enable researchers to develop next-generation imaging modalities that capture much higher resolution images in a fraction of the time. Read on to learn more.

FDA Deploys Agentic AI to Modernize Regulatory Workflows

The FDA has taken a substantial step in its digital modernization strategy with the deployment of agentic AI capabilities across all agency employee groups. The move represents an expansion of the agency’s internal AI tools, intended to streamline complex, multi-step processes that support regulatory science, product review, and compliance activities. Read on to learn more.

Closing the EEG Bottleneck: How AI-Driven EEG Signal Analysis Is Reshaping Neurological Diagnostics

How do AI-assisted programs fit into the EEG picture? That’s what this article will explore.

Multifunctional ANF/Mxene-Enhanced Hydrogels for Flexible EMI Shielding and Wearable Sensing Applications

Researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology and their collaborators have developed a multifunctional polyelectrolyte hydrogel reinforced with aramid nanofibers (ANFs) and MXene nanosheets, achieving outstanding performance in absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and wearable sensing. Read on to learn more.

Tiny Neural Implant Wirelessly Tracks Brain

Cornell researchers and collaborators have developed a neural implant so small that it can rest on a grain of salt, yet it can wirelessly transmit brain activity data in a living animal for more than a year. Read on to learn more about it.

Biosensor Could Lead to Breath Test for Lung Cancer

University of Texas at Dallas researchers have developed biosensor technology that when combined with artificial intelligence (AI) shows promise for detecting lung cancer through breath analysis. Read on to learn more.

Probe Powerfully Records Neural Circuits During Behavior

A newly developed probe, called Neuropixels Ultra, overcomes some key technical challenges in recording the cell type and activity of thousands of individual cells across many brain regions during a single experiment. Read on to learn more.

Electronic Fiber Provides Stretchable Sensing

EPFL researchers have engineered a fiber-based electronic sensor that remains functional even when stretched to over 10 times its original length. The device holds promise for smart textiles, physical rehabilitation devices, and soft robotics. Read on to learn more about it.

Micronewton Scale Biotribometer Research of Low Friction Aqueous Gels, Cells, and Tissues

Read on to learn all about tribometry research and what it entails.

Electrochemical Machining Redefines Knee Implant Manufacturing

Knee replacement implants must balance strength, wear resistance, and precision geometry to restore mobility and reduce pain for millions of patients worldwide. Yet one of the most challenging regions of the knee femoral component to manufacture is the intercondylar area — the central box that accommodates the cam mechanism. In March 2025, Extrude Hone introduced an alternative approach: electrochemical machining (ECM). Read on to learn more.

Understanding Sensors for Medical Pump Technology

Medical pumps are at the heart of modern healthcare delivery. Their success depends on precise, reliable, and safe operation — capabilities enabled by advanced sensor technologies. From occlusion detection to bubble monitoring and temperature control, sensors provide the intelligence that allows pumps to perform with confidence in critical care environments. Read on to learn more.

Smart Patch Runs Tests Using Sweat Instead of Blood

A KAIST research team has developed a smart patch that can precisely observe internal changes through sweat when simply attached to the body. This is expected to greatly contribute to the advancement of chronic disease management and personalized healthcare technologies. Read on to learn more.

Metamaterial Could Transform Ingestible and Implantable Medical Devices

Researchers, led by Rice University’s Yong Lin Kong, have developed a soft but strong metamaterial that can be controlled remotely to rapidly transform its size and shape. The invention, published in Science Advances, represents a significant advancement that can potentially transform ingestible and implantable medical devices. Read on to learn more about it.

Ultrasound Helmet Enables Deep Brain Stimulation Without Surgery

The new technology features 256 elements configured within a special helmet to send focused beams of ultrasound to specific parts of the brain in order to turn neuronal activity up or down. It also includes a soft plastic face mask, which helps to target the ultrasound waves more precisely by keeping the head still. Read on to learn more about it.

Designing Resilient LSR Supply Chains Through Vertical Integration

As devices grow smaller, smarter, and more user-centered, materials like liquid silicone rubber (LSR) play a bigger role in enabling performance, comfort, and compliance. From implantables to connected wearables, LSR is helping engineers meet growing design and usability demands. Read on to learn more.

No More Lost Sponges: RFID to Optimize Surgical Suite Efficiency and Safety

Retained surgical items are not as rare as many believe. These mistakes are a small but critical piece of the larger challenges of managing the availability and use of a wide range of surgical instruments and other items. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has emerged as one of the most effective tools for solving these challenges. Read on to learn how.

SiC Power Delivery for ‘Big Iron’ Medical Devices

SiC MOSFETs can operate efficiently at much higher switching speeds than silicon devices and can withstand high applied voltages as well as high operating temperatures. Read on to learn what this means for "big iron" medical devices.

3D Printed Implant Helps Repair Spinal Cord Injuries

A research team at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has developed a 3D printed implant to deliver electrical stimulation to injured areas of the spinal cord offering a potential new route to repair nerve damage. Read on to learn the details of the 3D-printed implant and how it performs in lab experiments.

At-Home Melanoma Testing with Skin Patch Test

Melanoma testing could one day be done at home with a skin patch and test strip with two lines, similar to COVID-19 home tests, according to University of Michigan researchers. The new silicone patch with star-shaped microneedles, called the ExoPatch, distinguished melanoma from healthy skin in mice. Read on to learn more.

Researchers Develop Ultrasound-Based Wireless Charging Technology for Implantable Medical Devices

A research team led by Prof. Jinho Chang at DGIST has developed an ultrasound-based wireless charging technology capable of rapidly and efficiently charging the batteries of implantable medical devices. The technology has achieved world-class energy efficiency, fully charging a commercial battery within two hours, even inside the human body. Read on to learn more.

Wearable Sensor Could Help Patients with Bipolar Disorder Track Medication Levels Through Sweat

Although lithium is highly effective to treat bipolar disorder, the chemical has a narrow therapeutic window — too high a dose can be toxic to patients, causing kidney damage, thyroid damage, or even death, while too low a dose renders the treatment ineffective. Read on to learn how a wearable sensor may thwart this issue.

Laser Welding for Polymer Tubing: A New Solution for Adhesive- and Additive-Free Joining

Engineers at EWI have developed a new laser-based welding technique that enables the clean, reliable joining of clear-to-clear polymer tubing without the need for adhesives, solvents, colorants, or any chemical surface treatment. Read on to learn more.

Elevating Modern Drug-Delivery Devices with Advanced Polymers

In addressing the complex demands of drug-device integration, medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethanes provide a rare trifecta of tunable mechanics, chemical inertness and proven biocompatibility. While this polymer class is historically underutilized in drug delivery compared to more common materials like ethylene-vinyl acetate, it is increasingly favored in specialty product design for both extended release and implantable combination devices. Read on to learn more.

CO-TENG: An Origami-Inspired Self-Powering Sensor for Smart Wearables

Sensors are used everywhere. But traditional sensors often rely on rigid components and batteries, limiting their applications in soft systems. To address this, researchers have developed a smarter alternative. Using a paper-folding technique in combination with a triboelectric nanogenerator, they created a novel energy-harvesting sensor with promising potential for next-gen soft devices. Read on to learn more.

Handheld Device Could Transform Heart Disease Screening

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a handheld device that could potentially replace stethoscopes as a tool for detecting certain types of heart disease. The device can also be used over clothing, making it more comfortable for patients — especially women — during routine check-ups or community heart health screening programs.