Tech Briefs

Smart Wearable Sensors for Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson's Disease is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative condition in the world and affects 600,000 Americans yearly at a cost of $20 billion to the U.S. healthcare system.

Silicon Nanochip Could Treat Traumatic Muscle Loss

Technology developed by researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine can change skin tissue into blood vessels and nerve cells.

An Investigation to Test Remote-Controlled Drug-Delivery Implant Launched on SpaceX CRS-26

A new remotely controlled drug-delivery implant could one day provide extended, adjustable medication for patients — even those on spacecraft headed for Mars.

Extrusion Process Enables Synthetic Material Growth

A team of scientists and engineers has developed a first-of-its-kind, plant-inspired extrusion process that enables synthetic material growth.

In-Home Wireless Device Tracks Disease Progression in Parkinson’s Patients

Parkinson’s disease now affects more than 10 million people worldwide, yet clinicians still face huge challenges in tracking its severity and progression.

Battery-Free, Light-Powered Pacemaker May Improve Quality of Life for Heart Disease Patients

Atrial fibrillation — a form of irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia — leads to more than 454,000 hospitalizations and nearly 160,000 deaths in the United States each year.

Soft but Tough: Biohybrid Material Performs Like Cartilage

Producing biomaterials that match the performance of cartilage and tendons has been an elusive goal for scientists.

Stretchable Battery Packaging Could Power the Future of Wearable Devices

In order for wearables to be functional and practical, they need to have batteries that are stretchable and highly deformable.

Endoscope Uses Bendable GRIN Lens for 3D Microscopy

Researchers have created a flexible needle-like endoscopic imaging probe that can acquire 3D microscopic images of tissue.

Integrated Rupture Disk Assemblies for Cryogenic Equipment and Storage Systems

OEMs are increasingly turning to integrated rupture disk assemblies with all components combined by the manufacturer, as opposed to loose rupture disk and holder devices that leave much to chance.

Medical Lasers: When the Laser Application Requires Utmost Safety

The range of laser applications in the field of medicine and aesthetics in medicine is vast and varied.

Tubing Coated with Light-Powered Catalysts Aids Drug Manufacturing

The new class of materials is insoluble, so it can be used over and over again. Such catalysts could be used to coat tubing and perform chemical transformations on reactants as they flow through the tube.

Tough Gel Adhesives for Wound Healing

A Band-Aid® adhesive bandage is an effective treatment for stopping external bleeding from skin wounds, but an equally viable option for internal bleeding does not yet exist.

Novel Radiation Therapy Delays Brain Cancer Regrowth

UC San Diego Health is the first hospital system in San Diego to offer a new, highly targeted, and precisely placed radiation therapy that delays tumor regrowth while protecting healthy tissue in patients with brain cancer.

Medical Device Machining: Precise and Reliable Parts for Critical Applications

For the medical device industry, the cutting edge of parts machining goes far beyond having the latest CNC equipment and accessories.

AI-Enabled Optical Fiber Sensor Device Monitors Brain Injury

The results from tests on animal brain tissues suggest it could help clinicians to better monitor both disease progression and patients’ response to treatment than is currently possible.

Ultrathin Dental Camera Inspired by Insect-Eye Structure

Using the device, assorted functional imaging was demonstrated to satisfy clinical needs.

Building Better Gas-Phase Biosensors for Fight Against Diseases

By embedding enzymes inside the polymer string, the enzymes were operational even in a dry state.

Powering an ‘Arm’ with Air Could Be Mighty Handy

Mechanical engineers have built a handy extra limb able to grasp objects and go, powered only by compressed air. It’s one of several ideas the engineers at Rice University’s George...

Tiny Robots Bring Healthcare Closer to Precisely Targeted Drug Delivery

If you’ve ever swallowed the same round tablet in hopes of curing everything from stomach cramps to headaches, you already know that medicines aren’t always...

Surface Mount Technology for PCB Assembly Use Case and SMT in Healthcare Systems

Surface mount technology (SMT) is widely accepted as the ideal process for electronic products that are compact, lightweight, and high speed. Both...

Helmet Made of Magnetic Metamaterials Could Improve Brain Scans

It may look like a bizarre bike helmet, or a piece of equipment found in Doc Brown’s lab in Back to the Future, yet this gadget made of plastic and copper wire is a...

Risk Management for Cybersecure Networked Medical Devices

For developers and manufacturers of networked medical devices, IT security is increasingly becoming a challenge. While the number of cyber threats is growing significantly,...

Medical Packaging: Automation of Thermoforming Processes

The medical packaging market has quickly embraced the use of automation for the thermoforming process. Automation has enabled adherence to stringent quality requirements and has...

Researchers Develop Rapid Lab-on-a-Chip for Cancer, COVID Diagnostics

A research center based at the University of Kansas that develops rapid next-generation tests for a host of human ailments like cancer, stroke, and COVID-19 recently...

How RFID Can Help Healthcare Maintain an Effective Working Environment

Forty hours is a lot of time — for most of us, it’s a full working week. Nurses in healthcare settings, however, spend this amount of time searching for medical...

‘Bionic’ Pacemaker Reverses Heart Failure

A revolutionary pacemaker that re-establishes the heart’s naturally irregular beat is set to be trialed in New Zealand heart patients this year, following successful animal trials.

Peeling Back the Layers: Adhesives Testing for Wearables

Trends in wearable technology follow those of the broader biomedical and electronics industries — devices are getting smaller, smarter, and easier to use. Specifically, wearables in...

Joystick-Operated Robot Could Help Surgeons Treat Stroke Remotely

A telerobotic system helps surgeons quickly and remotely treat patients experiencing a stroke or aneurysm. With a modified joystick, surgeons in one hospital may control a...