Tech Briefs

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...

Flexible Backing Improves Brain-Computer Interface

Engineering researchers have invented an advanced brain-computer interface with a flexible and moldable backing and penetrating microneedles. Adding a flexible backing to this kind of...

New 3D Printing Technique: A Game Changer for Medical Testing Devices

Microfluidic devices are compact testing tools made up of tiny channels carved on a chip, which allow biomedical researchers to test the properties of liquids, particles, and...

Smartphone-Powered Microchip Enables At-Home Medical Diagnostic Testing

A research team has developed a new microfluidic chip for diagnosing diseases that uses a minimal number of components and can be powered wirelessly by a smartphone. The...

Biodegradable Implant Could Help Doctors Monitor Brain Chemistry

A wireless, biodegradable sensor could offer doctors a way to monitor changes in brain chemistry without requiring a second operation to remove the implant, according to an...

Digital Rehab: Video Game-Based Therapy Improves Motor Skills After Stroke

After a stroke, patients may lose feeling in an arm or experience weakness and reduced movement that limits their ability to complete basic daily activities. Traditional...

Sensor Measures Pressure in Digestive Tract

As food moves through the digestive tract, contracting muscles along the tract keep things flowing smoothly. Loss of this motility can lead to acid reflux, failure of food to move out of the stomach,...

Optimizing Illumination for qPCR Diagnostics — Design Considerations

A complete optical path minimizes signal crosstalk between detection channels.

‘Seeing’ Nonuniformities in 2D Materials May Lead to New Medical Sensors

Detecting nonuniformities in optical properties opens the door to new uses

Implant Offers Promise for the Paralyzed

A system enables patients with a complete spinal cord injury to stand, walk, and more.

Researchers Develop Ultrathin Films for Stretchable and Sturdy Bioelectronic Membranes

The highly adaptable materials could lead to new classes of wearable devices.

Quiet Gears Improve Patient Comfort and Imaging Quality in Medical Equipment

The polymer gear material reduces noise and absorbs shock and vibration.

New Software May Help Neurology Patients Capture Clinical Data with Their Own Smartphones

The software accurately detects movements performed during motor function assessments.

Custom Finger Clip Offers New Way to Measure Blood Pressure, Other Vitals

The novel device uses two photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors.

Researchers Pilot ‘Itty Bitty’ Device for Earlier Ovarian Cancer Detection

The endoscope fits inside a fallopian tube and sees below the surface with high resolution.

New Technology Offers Better Diagnosis of Dizziness

The vibrating device uses bone-conducted sounds to achieve better results.

Brain-Recording Device Could Help Patients Regain Mobility

The customizable device for recording brain activity is also affordable.

Researchers Develop Soft, Stretchable Thermometer

The self-powered sensor can be integrated into soft robots or smart clothing.