Tech Briefs

Engineers Develop Low-Cost Human Biomarker Sensor Designs

Penn State researchers have developed a low-cost, RNA-based technology to detect and measure biomarkers, which can help decode the body’s physiology.

Artificial Intelligence: Making Innovations Fit for the MDR

Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) has long shaped product development across a variety of areas, including the medtech industry.

Thermoelectric Generator: Reliable Power for Wearable Electronics

Researchers have developed a thermoelectric generator (TEG) that can continuously generate electricity using heat from the sun and a radiative element that releases heat into the air.

Brain Computer Interface Helps Immobilized Patients Control Devices

A new project at Aalto University is developing techniques that will enable immobilized patients to control devices using their brain activity.

Stretchable Knee Wearable Offers Insight into Improving e-Textiles for Healthcare

Researchers have developed a fully knitted, circuit-embedded knee wearable for wireless sensing of joint motion in real time. Compared to other knitted electronics, this model has fewer externally integrated components and a more sensitive sensor, making it less error prone.

How to Eliminate PCB Static in Medical Electronics

For medical devices with critical electronic components, damage from ESD during manufacturing can introduce defects, with devices failing once the product is in use, endangering the patient’s safety.

Wearable Technology: DOD Investing in Powerful AI Algorithm That Could Rapidly Predict Disease

The Defense Department is looking to expand the use of its wearable technology to other infectious disease detection in service members, which leaders say will aid in readiness.

Programmable Smart Fabric Responds to Temperature and Electricity

A new smart material developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli.

Implantable Device Shrinks Pancreatic Tumors

Houston Methodist nanomedicine researchers have found a way to tame pancreatic cancer — one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat cancers — by delivering immunotherapy directly into the tumor with a device that is smaller than a grain of rice.

Superhydrophobic Biosensor Measures Sweat Vapors on the Body

Wearable sensors can be used to monitor a person’s perspiration rate and provide information about the skin, nervous system activity, and underlying health conditions. Some sweat cannot be measured with current sensors.

Soft Robotic Wearable Restores Arm Function for People with ALS

A team of researchers has developed a soft robotic wearable capable of significantly assisting upper arm and shoulder movement in people with ALS.

Disposable, Eco-Friendly Sensors Provide Precise Wearable Dosimetry

Prof. Abhishek Singh Dahiya and his team present ZnO nano-wire-based high-performance ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors on flexible, biodegradable substrate.

Wearable Health Sensor Monitors Muscle Atrophy

Researchers at The Ohio State University have fabricated the first wearable sensor designed to detect and monitor muscle atrophy.

Plastic Transistor Amplifies Biochemical Sensing Signal

The molecules in our bodies are in constant communication. Now, researchers have developed a new technology that makes it easier to eavesdrop on our body’s inner conversations.

Robots Tackle COVID by Automating Neutralizing Antibody Test

ABB Robotics has developed an automated neutralizing antibody testing system with UTMB. With the use of ABB robots, UTMB can radically increase the number of such tests performed, from 15 per day to more than 1,000.

COPD: Hands-Free Device Improves Breathing

One in 10 adults suffer from the debilitating effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Research around a new breathing device developed by pulmonologists at the University of Cincinnati offers promise for improving their lives.

Wearable Sensor Uses Ultrasound to Provide Cardiac Imaging ‘On the Go’

Engineers and physicians have developed a wearable ultrasound device that can assess both the structure and function of the human heart.

Powering Research and Discovery with Micromotors

In May 2021, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft left its study asteroid Bennu to return to Earth. Scientists will use the rubble it brings back to learn more about how the planets formed and how life arose on Earth.

Neuro-Chip Manages Brain Disorders

Researchers have combined low power chip design, machine learning algorithms, and soft implantable electrodes to produce a neural interface that can identify and suppress symptoms of various neurological disorders.

Powering Wearable Technology with MXene Textile Supercapacitor ‘Patch’

Researchers at Drexel University are one step closer to making wearable textile technology a reality.

An Ultrasoft Material for On-Skin Health Devices

Researchers have created an ultrasoft skin-like material that’s both breathable and stretchable for use in the development of an on-skin, wearable bioelectronic device.

First Transient Electronic Bandage Speeds Healing by 30%

Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind small, flexible, stretchable bandage that accelerates healing by delivering electrotherapy directly to the wound site.

Medical App Development: Top 3 mHealth Solutions

Medical mobile applications have gained popularity during the pandemic. This article presents some guidelines for medical app development.

The Promise of Mobile Photoacoustic Imaging

Photoacoustic imaging, which combines optical and acoustic modalities, is enabling some of the most promising medical research.

Wearable Skin Patch Monitors Hemoglobin in Deep Tissues

A team of engineers has developed an electronic patch that can monitor biomolecules, including hemoglobin, in deep tissues.

High-Power Electrostatic Actuators to Realize Artificial Muscles

It may be possible to use electrostatic actuators in artificial muscles thanks to research that made use of ferroelectric materials to create an electrostatic actuator that can generate a strong force at a low driving voltage.

Wearable Belt with Sensors Accurately Measures Heart Failure 24/7

Heart failure is a progressive clinical syndrome characterized by a structural abnormality of the heart, in which the heart is unable to pump sufficient blood to meet the body’s requirements.

Wearable Sensor Could Guide Precision Drug Dosing

For some of the powerful drugs used to fight infection and cancer, there’s only a small difference between a healing dose and a dangerous dose.

Wireless, High-Speed, Low-Power Communications for Implantable Devices

Implantable bioelectronics are now often key in assisting or monitoring vital organs, but they often lack a safe, reliable way of transmitting their data to doctors.