INSIDER

Researchers at the University of Southern California and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have developed a brain prosthesis that is designed to help individuals suffering from memory loss. The prosthesis includes a small array of electrodes implanted into the brain.

VeloX, a prosthetic heart valve developed by National University of Singapore researchers, can be implanted through a small incision for the treatment of a serious heart valve disorder called mitral regurgitation. The device is particularly beneficial to patients who are of high surgical risk or are...

Nerve damage is often permanent, and according to the Mayo clinic, regrowth of nerves is very rare. A 3D-printed guide built by University of Minnesota researchers regrows both the sensory and motor functions of complex nerves after injury.

Inspired by a naturally occurring material found in marine mussels, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have created a new flame retardant to replace toxic commercial additives. The engineers' use of synthetic polydopamaine could prove valuable for a number of health-related applications,...

Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin produced inexpensive wearable patches that continuously monitor the body’s vital signs. Their repeatable, “cut-and-paste” method cuts manufacturing time from several days to only 20 minutes.

In a collaboration between the Melbourne-based medical device company Anatomics and Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), a cancer patient diagnosed with a chest wall sarcoma received a 3D-printed titanium sternum and rib implants.

An ultrasonic technology developed by researchers from the University of Southampton removes contaminants from surgical steel. The StarStream device creates tiny bubbles which automatically scrub surfaces.

A microscope from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory will allow scientists studying biological and synthetic materials to simultaneously observe chemical and physical properties on and beneath the surface. The Hybrid Photonic Mode-Synthesizing Atomic Force Microscope...

A new research robot from Uppsala University engineers finds optimal treatment combinations for cancer treatments. The robotic system plans and conducts experiments with many substances, and draws its own conclusions from the results, according to Dr Claes Andersson, leading scientist in the...

The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), in collaboration with the Laboratory for Attosecond Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (MPQ) and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich, have developed a unique broadband and coherent infrared light source. The source enables...

Researchers at the University of Houston have discovered a transparent conductor that can be folded or stretched and released, resulting in a large curvature or a significant strain, at least 10,000 times without showing signs of fatigue. The technology pairs gold nanomesh with a...

While historically, the development of new technologies to improve patients’ lives has relied upon experts’ opinions rather than asking patients and families directly what they consider important, this may be about to change. Patients and their care partners are becoming intimately...

A 28-year-old who has been paralyzed for more than a decade has become the first person to be able to “feel” physical sensations through a prosthetic hand directly connected to his brain, and even identify which mechanical finger is being gently touched.

A team of Johns Hopkins University scientists discovered that noninvasive brain stimulation temporarily improves motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The Johns Hopkins study also revealed that people with Parkinson's disease are still capable of making quick,...

An "augmented reality telementoring" system built by researchers at Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Medicine provides effective support to battlefield surgeons from specialists located thousands of miles away. The system uses a transparent display positioned between the...

Electrical engineers at the University of California, San Diego demonstrated a wireless communication technique that sends magnetic signals through the human body. The secure, low-power innovation could lead to a wireless sensor network for full-body health monitoring.

A “robotic exoskeleton” device developed by UCLA scientists allowed a paralyzed man to voluntarily control his leg muscles and take thousands of steps. In addition to the robotic device, the man was aided by a novel noninvasive spinal stimulation technique that does not require...

OpenFDA is releasing a treasure trove of information on medical devices that could help spur innovation and advance scientific research. OpenFDA’s Application Programming Interface (API) expands the previous resources about medical device-related adverse events and recalls by incorporating information...

A team of engineers at Washington State University, Pullman, discovered how to stretch metal films used in flexible electronics to twice their size without breaking, which they say, could lead to dramatic improvements in flexible electronics. This may advance applications in bendable batteries,...

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...

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.

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...