Tech Briefs

Ultrasound as a New Wireless Power Transfer Technology

A research team led by Dr. Sunghoon Hur of the Electronic and Hybrid Materials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Professor Hyun-Cheol Song of Korea University has developed a biocompatible ultrasonic receiver that maintains its performance even when bent. Read on to learn more.

Choosing the Right Materials for Micro-Molded Optics and Photonics Components

This article presents a practical way to think about materials for molded optics and photonics parts, and what an OEM should expect from a micro molding partner, not only in terms of material range, but in terms of the process command required to turn a material choice into dependable end-use performance. Read on to learn more.

The Strategic Advantage of Automation in Medical Device Manufacturing

Medical device manufacturers face increasing pressure to deliver higher volumes, greater consistency, and stronger compliance in a challenging labor environment. Strategic automation provides a path forward by embedding repeatability, traceability, and verification directly into manufacturing processes. Read on to learn more.

AI-Generated Sensors Open New Paths for Early Cancer Detection

Detecting cancer in the earliest stages could dramatically reduce cancer deaths because cancers are usually easier to treat when caught early. To help achieve that goal, MIT and Microsoft researchers are using artificial intelligence to design molecular sensors for early detection. Read on to learn more.

Sensor Technology Detects Life-Threatening Complications After Intestinal Surgery

An interdisciplinary research team has developed a bioresorbable sensor film that is inserted directly into the intestinal suture during surgery. It continuously measures parameters such as tissue impedance and temperature, providing real-time information on the condition of the healing region for the first time. Read on to learn more.

Engineers Create Hydrogels to Monitor Activity in the Body

Wearable or implantable devices to monitor biological activities, such as heart rate, are useful, but they are typically made of metals, silicon, plastic, and glass and must be surgically implanted. A research team in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis is developing bioelectronic hydrogels that could one day replace existing devices and have much more flexibility. Read on to learn more.

Soft Robotics: AI Powered Muscles Paired with Intelligent Control Systems

Pop culture has often depicted robots as cold, metallic, and menacing, built for domination, not compassion. But at Georgia Tech, the future of robotics is softer, smarter, and designed to help. Read on to learn more.

Sweat-Powered Sticker Turns Drinking Cup Into a Health Sensor

A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed an electronic sticker that can monitor a person’s vitamin C levels using the sweat from their fingertips — no blood draws, lab visits, or batteries required. Read on to learn more about it.

Ensuring Fatigue Resistance of Polymer Welds for Medical Devices

As medical devices continue to evolve, the durability of polymer welds will remain a critical factor in product performance. Early assessment of fatigue resistance using methods like HACS analysis, combined with an understanding of materials and processes, will allow manufacturers to create more robust, reliable devices. Read on to learn more.

Researchers Develop New 3D Printing Method for Tissue Engineering

Missouri S&T research team has developed a new light-based 3D printing method that could speed up and simplify the process of making organs-on-a-chip — small tissue-like devices that are used for medical research and drug testing. Read on to learn more.

New Method More Accurately Predicts Stronger, Lighter 3D Printed Parts

Engineers at the University of Maine are developing a new method to more accurately predict the strength of light-weight 3D printed objects. This research, conducted at the university’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, will enable designers to create more robust and reliable components by controlling strength when lightweighting virtually any plastic component. Read on to learn more.

Overcoming Thermal Latency: A Passive Architecture for High-Flux Imaging

By shifting from active cooling (pumps) to passive buffering (sorption), medical device engineers can close the thermal latency gap. This approach eliminates the need for forced cooldown cycles, enabling continuous duty cycles for high-flux modalities and significantly improving the return on assets for hospital operators. Read on to learn more.

Liquid Metal Composite Material Enables Recyclable, Flexible, and Reconfigurable Electronics

Electronic waste is piling up around the world at a rate that far outpaces recycling efforts, partly because it’s so costly and time-consuming to recover useful materials from discarded gadgets. Read on to see what this conundrum inspired a team at the University of Washington to create.

AI Approach Takes Optical System Design from Months to Milliseconds

A team of researchers at Penn State have devised a new, streamlined approach to design metasurfaces, a class of engineered materials that can manipulate light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation with just their structures. This rapid optimization process could help manufacture advanced optical systems like camera lenses, virtual reality headsets, holographic imagers and more, the team said. Read on to learn more.

Specialty Thermoplastics for Medical Tubing Address PFAS, Processing, and System Cost Challenges

Two promising options are polyetherimide resins and PEI-siloxane copolymers. These specialty thermoplastic materials not only are formulated without fluorine but also deliver desirable properties such as high heat and chemical resistance and low friction. Read on to learn more about them.

Force Measurement, Material Testing for Critical Orthopedic Components

Ensuring accuracy by force measurement and material testing is a necessary requirement in most every industry, especially orthopedic and medical parts manufacturing where the highest quality control is crucial. Read on to learn more.

Where CAM and Additive Meet, Improving Medical Manufacturing Efficiency

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been adopted in the medical industry due to advantages over conventional subtractive machining. Read on to learn more.

Designing Peristaltic Tubing for Continuous Bioprocessing Reliability

Continuous bioprocessing places unprecedented demands on peristaltic pump tubing. Long cycle times, regulatory expectations, and sensitivity to flow variability mean that tubing can no longer be treated as a short-term consumable. Read on to learn more.

Shrinking Materials Hold Big Potential for Smart Devices

Wearable electronics could be more wearable, according to a research team at Penn State. The researchers developed a scalable, versatile approach to designing and fabricating wireless, Internet-enabled electronic systems that can better adapt to 3D surfaces. Read on to learn more.

High-Tech Imaging in Scattering Media for Medical Applications

The OASYS project aims to develop compact, energy-efficient, and highly integrated optoelectronic sensor components for applications in the life sciences and smart manufacturing. The project concentrates on two main research areas: MEMS-based hyper-spectral imaging for industrial and agricultural use, and high-resolution optical techniques for the life sciences, with a particular focus on imaging in scattering media.

Highly Sensitive Wearable Pressure Sensors Inspired by Cat Whiskers

This bioinspired design marks a significant step toward development of eco-friendly and highly sensitive wearable sensors, with broad potential in sports analytics and biomedical monitoring. Read on to learn more.

Breakthrough Surgical Device Makes Hip Arthroscopy Safer

There’s a new tool in the hands of surgeons making waves through the world of hip arthroscopy. Jacob Segil, a research professor at CU Boulder, collaborated with Dr. Omer Mei Dan from the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine to create a redesigned surgical instrument called the CAP-LIFT cannula. Read on to learn more.

Center to Develop Wearable Ultrasound Imaging for Real-Time Monitoring of Chronic Conditions

The Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology has launched a new collaborative research project — Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care (WITEC). Read on to learn more about it.

Advanced High-Repetition-Rate Lasers Drive Next-Gen Imaging

By overcoming some of the traditional constraints in pulse frequency, energy output, and tuning speed, tunable high-repetition rate OPO lasers will enable researchers to develop next-generation imaging modalities that capture much higher resolution images in a fraction of the time. Read on to learn more.

FDA Deploys Agentic AI to Modernize Regulatory Workflows

The FDA has taken a substantial step in its digital modernization strategy with the deployment of agentic AI capabilities across all agency employee groups. The move represents an expansion of the agency’s internal AI tools, intended to streamline complex, multi-step processes that support regulatory science, product review, and compliance activities. Read on to learn more.

Closing the EEG Bottleneck: How AI-Driven EEG Signal Analysis Is Reshaping Neurological Diagnostics

How do AI-assisted programs fit into the EEG picture? That’s what this article will explore.

Multifunctional ANF/Mxene-Enhanced Hydrogels for Flexible EMI Shielding and Wearable Sensing Applications

Researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology and their collaborators have developed a multifunctional polyelectrolyte hydrogel reinforced with aramid nanofibers (ANFs) and MXene nanosheets, achieving outstanding performance in absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and wearable sensing. Read on to learn more.

Tiny Neural Implant Wirelessly Tracks Brain

Cornell researchers and collaborators have developed a neural implant so small that it can rest on a grain of salt, yet it can wirelessly transmit brain activity data in a living animal for more than a year. Read on to learn more about it.

Biosensor Could Lead to Breath Test for Lung Cancer

University of Texas at Dallas researchers have developed biosensor technology that when combined with artificial intelligence (AI) shows promise for detecting lung cancer through breath analysis. Read on to learn more.