Monitoring in real time what happens in and around our bodies can be invaluable in the context of healthcare or clinical studies, but not so easy to do. That could soon change thanks to new, miniaturized sensors developed by researchers at the Tufts University School of Engineering that, when mounted directly on a tooth and communicating wirelessly with a mobile device, can transmit information on glucose, salt, and alcohol intake. In research published in the journal Advanced Materials, researchers note that future adaptations of these sensors could enable the detection and recording of a wide range of nutrients, chemicals, and physiological states.

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and NC State have created an injectable gel-like scaffold that can hold combination chemo-immunotherapeutic drugs and deliver them locally to tumors in a sequential manner. The results in animal models so far suggest this approach could one day ramp up therapeutic benefits for patients bearing tumors or after removal of the primary tumors.

If scientists are ever going to deliver on the promise of implantable artificial organs or clothing that dries itself, they’ll first need to solve the problem of inflexible batteries that run out of juice too quickly. They’re getting closer, and researchers report that they’ve developed a new material by weaving two polymers together in a way that vastly increases charge storage capacity. The researchers presented their work at the 255th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

An at-home Pap smear test is designed to reduce anxiety associated with the procedure and give women more control over their health without interfering with their work or social life. The Domi Care, designed by industrial design graduate Lauren Emmerson and current senior Anastasia Miller, was recently awarded first place in the International Housewares Association Student Design Competition.

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 lateral dimensions — length and width, but to create the next generation of nanometer-scale devices, the energetic ions must precisely control the features in the vertical dimension — depth. Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated that a standard ion-beam technique can be fine-tuned to make structures with depths controlled to within the diameter of a single silicon atom.

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. Healthcare providers operate in an evolving environment influenced by policy, regulations, and changing technology affecting the patient experience. But 3D printing has been shown to improve the patient experience while saving money.

The concept for a new automated visual inspection system that uses robotics to manipulate metallic components is being tested at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).

The New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Newark College of Engineering has opened a training-focused, rapid prototyping facility that is central to both the university’s hands-on learning mission and its growing relationship with New Jersey’s manufacturing community.

A groundbreaking new wearable device designed to be worn on the throat could be a game changer in the field of stroke rehabilitation.

CU Boulder researchers have developed a new type of malleable, self-healing and fully recyclable “electronic skin” that has applications ranging from robotics and prosthetic development to better biomedical devices.