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Blood-Repellent Materials for Medical Implants

Medical implants like stents, catheters, and tubing introduce risk for blood clotting and infection — a perpetual problem for many patients. To address this, researchers have developed a...

Silk-Based Materials Can Be Programmed with Embedded Functions

Engineers have created a new format of solids made from silk protein that can be preprogrammed with biological, chemical, or optical functions, such as mechanical components...

Smartphones: Game-Changing Tool for Cardiovascular Research

Widespread ownership of smartphones could potentially transform cardiovascular research by providing rapid, large-scale, and real-time measurement of individuals’ physical...

3D printing Stretchable Electronics for Medical Devices

Electronic components that can be elongated or twisted — known as “stretchable” electronics — could soon be used to power medical devices and other products. And a 3D...

EEG Cap Enables People to Control Robotic Arm with Their Minds

A noninvasive technique, called electroencephalography (EEG) based brain-computer interface, has the potential to help millions of people who are paralyzed or have...

Weight Scale Could Be Used to Monitor Cardiovascular Health

A research team has demonstrated that they can effectively measure pulse transit time (PTT), a marker of cardiovascular health, using a specially modified weight scale more...

Bionic Wheelchair Climbs Stairs Without Tipping Over

People confined to a wheelchair are still confronted with insurmountable obstacles in everyday life – even in today’s more wheelchair-accessible society. While there are already...

Low-Frequency Ultrasound Heals Chronic Wounds

Chronic wounds affect up to 6 million patients per year in the United States. Because of their high prevalence, chronic wounds are a significant economic burden to the U.S. healthcare system....

Optical Waveguides Help Robotic Hand Feel

Most robots achieve grasping and tactile sensing through motorized means, which can be excessively bulky and rigid. A group of researchers has devised a way for a soft robot to feel its surroundings...

Probe Detects Difference between Cancer and Normal Tissue

Researchers have developed an optical fiber probe that distinguishes breast cancer tissue from normal tissue, potentially allowing surgeons to be much more precise when removing...

Virtual Reality for Diagnostics and Surgical Planning

Researchers have developed a technology that uses computed tomography (CT) data to generate in real time a 3D image of the anatomical structures of the part of the body undergoing...

Sensor System Predicts Heart Failure Events

A suite of sensors can predict heart failure events by detecting when a patient's condition is worsening. Researchers uploaded software to patients’ implanted defibrillators. The software...

Sensor Suit Makes Home Monitoring of Patients with Stroke Possible

A suit fitted with 41 sensors makes it possible to accurately image and analyze the movements of stroke patients. The suit contains the infrastructure necessary to store,...

Noninvasive Method Determines Severity of Heart Failure

Researchers have developed a patient-friendly method to determine the severity of heart failure. The quick, noninvasive method is cost-effective and can be performed at the hospital...

Electrode Implants Offers New Hope for Paralysis Patients

Patients with spinal cord injuries might one day regain use of paralyzed arms and legs thanks to research that demonstrates how limbs can be controlled via a tiny array of implanted...

Gold Electrodes Show Promise for Wearable Electronics

A research team has developed a way to build safe, nontoxic gold wires onto flexible, thin plastic film. Their demonstration potentially clears the path for a host of wearable electronic...

Designing Devices for 3D Printing

A research team has developed a system for custom designing a variety of 3D printed objects with multiple materials. They say the system could be used for practical applications in the medical field such as...

Augmented Reality Could Guide Robots to Assist with Assembly

Researchers have demonstrated how Microsoft’s HoloLens technology can be used for guiding robots to assist with assembly. Examples of the group’s augmented reality (AR)...

Laser Particles Could Provide Sharper Images of Tissues

Researchers have developed a new imaging technique that aims to illuminate cellular structures in deep tissue and other dense and opaque materials. The method uses tiny particles...

Mixed Matrix Membrane Improves Dialysis

Scientists have developed a new generation of membranes that outperform current dialysis techniques and may ultimately lead to a wearable artificial kidney. The new mixed matrix membranes (MMM)...

Self-Healing Coatings Prevent Biofilm Formation on Implants

A team of researchers has created self-healing slippery surface coatings with medical-grade Teflon materials and liquids that prevent biofilm formation on medical implants while...

Gold Nanowires Could Be Used for Biomedical Procedures

A novel device may prove beneficial during electrode and organ transplant procedures. The device uses gold nanowires to manipulate and sense characteristics of individual cells in...

3D-Printed Heart-on-a-Chip Paves Way for Customizable Devices

Built by a fully automated, digital manufacturing procedure, a 3D-printed heart-on-a-chip can be quickly fabricated and customized, allowing researchers to easily collect...

Biocompatible Fibers Could Serve as Long-Lasting Implant

Researchers have developed a biocompatible and highly stretchable optical fiber made from hydrogel. The bendable fiber may one day be implanted in the body to deliver therapeutic...

HoloLens Goggles Bring Augmented Reality to Brain Surgery

Surgeons and engineers are working to make emergency neurosurgical procedures safer with the help the HoloLens, a new pair of augmented reality (AR) goggles from Microsoft. The...

Neural Interface Allows Brain to Experience Touch through Robotic Arm

A neural interface connected to a robotic arm allows an individual to experience the sensation of touch directly in the brain. By enabling two-way communication between...

New Material Could Pave the Way for New Biological Sensors

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are designed to measure signals created by electrical impulses in the body, such as heartbeats or brainwaves. However, they are currently...

Biomedical Sensor Could Transform Wearable Health Devices

A new sensor hub integrated as a system-on-chip (SoC) is designed for a broad range of wearable health devices and applications. The SoC combines an unprecedented number of...

3D Printable Biomaterial Creates Customized Bones

A 3D printable ink produces a synthetic bone implant that rapidly induces bone regeneration and growth. This hyperelastic “bone” material, the shape of which can be easily customized,...