INSIDER

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...

A new study from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development found that facial motion capture – the same technology used to develop realistic computer graphics in video games and movies – has been utilized to identify differences between children with...

Physicians and engineers at Johns Hopkins and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center have developed a computer platform that provides rapid, real-time feedback before and during facial transplant surgery. The achievement may someday improve face-jaw-teeth alignment between donor...

Researchers from the National University of Singapore have created an endoscopic probe that delivers adjustable-focus capabilities in a slimmer package. The miniature and solid tunable-lens technology enables compact optical zoom with autofocus capability. The device switches from a wide field-of-view...

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY) will lead a new Manufacturing Innovation Institute to secure US leadership in manufacturing integrated photonics. The new institute, announced by Vice President Biden, will focus on emerging technologies, including “needleless” tests for...

Researchers at Purdue University discovered a simple way to control a type of metal deformation known as sinuous flow. Supressing the deformation could reduce the energy required to process metals and lead to more efficient machining.

According to the FDA’s Center for Devices & Radiological Health, the agency has announced the fee rates and payment procedures for medical device user fees for fiscal year 2016, which begins October 1. The agency is raising the fees by 4.2%.

An interdisciplinary team led by Stanford electrical engineer Krishna Shenoy has developed a technique to make brain-controlled prostheses more precise. The prostheses analyze the neuron sample and instantly make dozens of corrective adjustments to the estimate of the brain's electrical pattern.

High costs have hampered the deployment of biomedical devices for health monitoring, point-of-care diagnostics, and environmental sensing. To reduce the price of the devices and allow for their high-volume delivery, scientists from the Technical University of Dresden in Germany created a lightweight and...

A sterile medical device preserved the health of a deceased donor liver and allowed the organ to repair itself. The liver was then successfully transplanted to a 43-year-old patient in Ontario. The device, which mimics human physiological functions, is part of a Phase 1 clinical trial at UHN's...

Using sound waves, researchers from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering gently culled circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples. The contact-free nature of the method assures that original cell characteristics are maintained.

The smartphone app MoveSense, developed by engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, uses analyses of a cardiopulmonary patient's walk to predict oxygen saturation levels. The health-tracking app can be used on a standard smartphone, and oxygen saturation is measured without the use of a...

Researchers at the University of Delaware have received a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to develop new nanostructures that act like a ratchet, combining the energy of two red photons of light into a single, higher-energy blue photon. The light-changing technology could improve solar...

A smart hydrogel coating from Georgia Institute of Technology creates “stick-slip” control of capillary action. By placing the material inside of glass microtubes, capillary forces are altered and draw water differently. The researchers' discovery could provide a new way to control microfluidic...

Using a "photo-doping" process, Michigan State University scientists changed the electronic properties of materials in a way that more easily allows an electrical current to pass through. By shooting an ultrafast laser pulse into the material, the properties change and appear chemically...

A team of fiber scientists at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, have created cotton fabric that, they say, can kill bacteria, conduct electricity, ward off malaria, capture harmful gas, and weave transistors into clothing. They explain that cotton, a cellulose-based material, can be controlled one atom at a...

New research from Stanford University sheds light on how neurons control muscle movement. The findings could be applied to create better brain-controlled prosthetic devices, such as robotic arms.

Using high-quality, low-cost graphene, researchers from the University of Exeter have created a transparent, flexible touch-sensor that could enable the development of artificial skin.