Inflatable, Shape-Changing Spinal Implants Could Help Treat Severe Pain

The device uses soft robotics, ultra-thin electronics, and microfluidics.

Nontoxic, Flexible Energy Converters Could Power Wearable Devices

Researchers report the design and fabrication of single-wall carbon nanotube thermoelectric devices on flexible polyimide substrates as a basis for wearable energy converters.

Kirigami-Style Fabrication Enables 3D Nanostructures

A new technique that mimics the ancient Japanese art of kirigami may offer an easier way to fabricate complex 3D nanostructures for use in applications, including healthcare.

Wearable Sensors Printed Directly on Skin with No Heat

Researchers have printed sensors directly on human skin without the use of heat.

New Coating Process Lights Porous Electronics and Sensors

Researchers have shown how to coat glass and plastic with porous titanium dioxide.

Hybrid Technique Aims to Produce Stronger, Corrosion-Resistant Nickel

In the process, a high-yield electrodeposition is applied on certain conductive substrates.

Miniaturizing Medical Imaging, Sensing Technology

Scientists have used a microchip to map the back of the eye for disease diagnosis. This is the first time that technical obstacles have been overcome to fabricate a miniature device able to...

Nylon Provides Building Block for Electronic Devices

Thin nylon films are several 100 times thinner than human hair and could thus be attractive for applications in bendable electronic devices or for electronics in clothing. The researchers...

Origami, 3D Printing Make Complex Structures

By merging the ancient art of origami with 21st century technology, researchers have created a one-step approach to fabricating complex origami structures whose light weight, expandability, and...

Retinal Prosthesis Stimulates Nerve Cells

Fabricated using inexpensive and widely available organic pigments used in printing inks and cosmetics, an artificial retina was developed that consists of tiny pixels like a digital camera sensor on...

Flexible Microrobots for Medical Tasks

A team of researchers has developed an integrated fabrication process that enables the design of soft robots on the millimeter scale with micrometer-scale features. To demonstrate the capabilities of...

A New Generation of Artificial Retinas Based on 2D Materials

University of Texas at Austin,
Austin, TX
www.utexas.edu
Seoul National University,
Seoul, South Korea
www.useoul.edu

Scientists report they have...

Using LCP-Based Flexible Substrates for Medical Smart Sensor Applications

Medical devices require sensors that are miniaturized, highly reliable and integrated, cost-effective, hermetic, and biocompatible. By combining thin film technology...

Engineers Design Color-Changing Compression Bandage

Compression therapy is a standard form of treatment for patients who suffer from venous ulcers and other conditions in which veins struggle to return blood from the lower extremities....

Simple Method Developed for 3D Biofabrication Based on Bacterial Cellulose

Bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers are promising building blocks for the development of sustainable materials with the potential to outperform conventional...

Electrode Shape Improves Neurostimulation for Small Targets

A cross-like shape helps the electrodes of implantable neurostimulation devices to deliver more charge to specific areas of the nervous system, possibly prolonging device life span,...

Atomic Blasting Creates New Devices to Measure Nanoparticles

Like sandblasting at the nanometer scale, focused beams of ions ablate hard materials to form intricate three-dimensional patterns. The beams can create tiny features in the...

3D Printing Fuels the Rise of Point-of-Care Medical Manufacturing

More than 95 percent of point-of-care (POC) professionals expect to see an expansion of POC manufacturing enabled by additive manufacturing, commonly called 3D printing....

Electroactive Material for Wound Healing

NASA Langley Research Center’s Technology Gateway
Hampton, VA

This technology uses electrical activity to facilitate the wound-healing process while protecting the wound. The bandage is made...

Advanced Machining and Automation Reduce Medical Device Tubing Costs

In order to stay competitive in today’s medical device marketplace, it is imperative that companies continually invest in the latest technologies to ensure that they...

NanoVelcro Microchips Could Noninvasively Diagnose Prenatal Conditions

A new class of nanoVelcro microchips were prepared with a nano-imprinting fabrication process, which made them more reproducible and faster to make than the previous...

Active Implants: How Gold Binds to Silicone Rubber

Flexible electronic parts could significantly improve medical implants. However, electroconductive gold atoms usually hardly bind to silicones. Researchers from the University of Basel have...

Portable Nanofiber Device Offers Precise Control for Fabricating 3D Tissue

There are many ways to make nanofibers. These versatile materials — whose target applications include everything from tissue engineering to bulletproof vests —...

Engineers Create Artificial Skin That ‘Feels’ Temperature Changes

A team of engineers and scientists have developed an artificial skin capable of detecting temperature changes using a mechanism similar to the one used by the organ that...

Engineers Reveal Fabrication Process for Transparent Sensors

See-through sensors from the University of Wisconsin–Madison will provide neural researchers with a better view of brain activity. The scientists hope to use the transparent,...

Shape-Memory Polymer Promises 'Programmable' Applications

In partnership with General Motors, researchers from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, have revealed that honeycomb “cellular” materials support a range of new...

Researchers Create Customized Proteins from 'Bacterial Builders'

Researchers from Wyss Institute have revealed a scalable method for building biomaterials from protein structures known as "amyloids." Ongoing work in the lab will focus on...