Hydrogel Implant Treats Endometriosis

Researchers have now developed the first hydrogel implant designed for use in fallopian tubes. This innovation performs two functions: one is to act as a contraceptive, the other is to prevent the recipient from developing endometriosis in the first place or to halt the spread if they do. Read on to learn more.

Toward a New Era in Flexible Piezoelectric Sensors for Both Humans and Robots

A research team from Shinshu University, Japan, decided to improve flexible piezoelectric sensor design using a well-established manufacturing technique: electrospinning. Read on to learn more about it.

‘Smart Glove’ Boosts Hand Mobility

A new washable wireless smart textile technology has potential uses in virtual reality and American Sign Language. The glove incorporates a sophisticated network of highly sensitive sensor yarns and pressure sensors.

Conductive, Cotton-Based Fiber for Smart Textiles

A single strand of fiber has the flexibility of cotton and the electric conductivity of a polymer, called polyaniline. The newly developed material showed good potential for wearable e-textiles. Researchers tested the fibers with a system that powered an LED light and another that sensed ammonia gas.

Exploring a New Approach to Treating Collapsed Airways in Newborns

Researchers at the EPFL have achieved a breakthrough in the treatment of tracheomalacia, a condition characterized by weak tracheal cartilage and muscles that normally keep the airway open for proper breathing.

Programmable Smart Fabric Responds to Temperature and Electricity

A new smart material developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli.

Thermosensitive Bioadhesives Enable Better Surgical Sealing

An injectable biomaterial with significantly improved adhesive strength, stretchability, and toughness could enable improved surgical sealing. This chemically modified,...

Thermoresponsive Smart Materials

The researchers used water as the solvent and developed an LCST-type thermoresponsive polymer by adding alkaline earth metal ions — which are divalent cations — to polymers and aqueous solutions.

Helmet Made of Magnetic Metamaterials Could Improve Brain Scans

It may look like a bizarre bike helmet, or a piece of equipment found in Doc Brown’s lab in Back to the Future, yet this gadget made of plastic and copper wire is a...

Hybrid Material Enables Next-Gen E-Skin

Researchers have developed three-in-one hybrid material smart skin for the next generation of artificial, electronic skin using a novel process. With 2,000 individual sensors per square millimeter,...

Lead-Free Piezoelectric Materials

Gadolinium-doped cerium oxide could be a promising alternative to certain piezoelectric materials. It is lead-free, which means that it could be employed in biocompatible medical applications. Further...

Lens Offers Tunable Focus

A metasurface lens has been created that uses a piezoelectric thin film to change focal length when a small voltage is applied. Because it is extremely compact and lightweight, the new lens could be useful for...

Nontoxic, Variable-Stiffness Threads Enable Dexterous Cardiac Catheters

Engineers at EPFL and ETH have developed a variable stiffness catheter made of nontoxic threads that can transition between soft and rigid states during surgery. It may...

Shape-Shifting Materials Offer Infinite Possibilities

Totimorphic structural materials can achieve any shape.

‘Weeping’ Ceramics Lead to New Shape-Shifting Material

An international team of researchers has discovered a path that could lead to shape-shifting ceramic materials.

Smart Fabric Stiffens on Demand

A new type of chain mail fabric is flexible like cloth but can stiffen on demand.

Batteryless Pacemaker Could Use Heart’s Energy for Power

The cardiac pacemaker of the future could be powered by the heart itself.

Bruisable Artificial Skin Could Help Prosthetics Sense Injuries

An artificial skin attached to a person’s knee develops a purple “bruise” when hit forcefully.

E-Health Patches Monitor Pulse and Blood Pressure

The wireless patches power themselves with harvested energy.

Ultra-Sensitive, Small Optomechanical Ultrasound Sensor

An optomechanical ultrasound sensor on a silicon photonic chip provides unprecedented sensitivity due to an innovative optomechanical waveguide.

Gold Nanoparticles Enable Long-Term Implantable Sensor ‘Tattoo’

The nanogold is implanted under the skin where it reports changes in drug concentrations by changing its color.

Exploring Medical Applications of Ultra-Fine Nitinol Wire

Nitinol also has a unique ability to adapt to extraordinary strains and is compatible with the human body.

Contact Lenses for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Use

By collecting tears, the lenses effectively measure pH and levels of biomarkers.

Wearable Pressure-Sensitive Devices

A gelatin-based hydrogel addresses the problems presented in constructing wearable pressure-sensitive sensors.

Sensing Eye Mask Captures Pulse, Sleep Signals

A new, lightweight eye mask can unobtrusively capture pulse, eye movement, and sleep signals, for example, when worn in an everyday environment.

Smart Fabrics Monitor Body by Changing Color

Researchers have developed biomaterial-based inks that respond to and quantify chemicals released from the body.

Device Improves Performance of Underactive Bladders

Researchers have developed a technology that can monitor bladder volume in real time and can effectively empty a person’s bladder.

Synthetic Material Could Help Heal Injured Tendons and Ligaments

University of Sydney Sydney,Australia Researchers from the University of Sydney have collaborated with Columbia University and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg to develop a...

High-Tech Printing May Help Eliminate Painful Shots

Engineers have created tiny needles that mimic parasites that attach to skin and could replace hypodermic needles.