Tech Briefs

Laser Welding for Polymer Tubing: A New Solution for Adhesive- and Additive-Free Joining

Engineers at EWI have developed a new laser-based welding technique that enables the clean, reliable joining of clear-to-clear polymer tubing without the need for adhesives, solvents, colorants, or any chemical surface treatment. Read on to learn more.

Elevating Modern Drug-Delivery Devices with Advanced Polymers

In addressing the complex demands of drug-device integration, medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethanes provide a rare trifecta of tunable mechanics, chemical inertness and proven biocompatibility. While this polymer class is historically underutilized in drug delivery compared to more common materials like ethylene-vinyl acetate, it is increasingly favored in specialty product design for both extended release and implantable combination devices. Read on to learn more.

CO-TENG: An Origami-Inspired Self-Powering Sensor for Smart Wearables

Sensors are used everywhere. But traditional sensors often rely on rigid components and batteries, limiting their applications in soft systems. To address this, researchers have developed a smarter alternative. Using a paper-folding technique in combination with a triboelectric nanogenerator, they created a novel energy-harvesting sensor with promising potential for next-gen soft devices. Read on to learn more.

Handheld Device Could Transform Heart Disease Screening

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a handheld device that could potentially replace stethoscopes as a tool for detecting certain types of heart disease. The device can also be used over clothing, making it more comfortable for patients — especially women — during routine check-ups or community heart health screening programs.

DNA-Inspired Design for Stronger, Flexible Sensors for Wearables

A fiber sensor inspired by the shape of DNA, developed by researchers at Shinshu University, introduces a new design for more durable, flexible fiber sensors in wearables. Read on to learn more.

Soft Robot Modules for New Haptic Interactions

EPFL researchers have developed a customizable soft robotic system that uses compressed air to produce shape changes, vibrations, and other haptic, or tactile, feedback in a variety of configurations. The device holds significant promise for applications in virtual reality, physical therapy, and rehabilitation. Read on to learn more.

Tiny Microlaser Sensors Offer Supercharged Biosensing

Researchers have developed a 3D microprinted sensor for highly sensitive on-chip biosensing. The sensor, which is based on a polymer whispering-gallerymode microlaser, opens new opportunities for developing high-performance, cost-effective lab-on-a-chip devices for early disease diagnosis. Read on to learn more.

Medical Device Makers: Ask These 7 Questions for an Effective Wireless Test Program

This article presents seven critical questions that medical device designers should be asking as they build the next generation of wireless products to improve quality of life for millions of patients. Read on to learn what they are.

Common Pitfalls When Specifying Bearings for Medical Devices

This article delves into some of the design engineering and supply chain issues for medical device bearings, providing insights into their implications. It also offers guidance on how to optimize the bearing selection process with your supplier, ensuring your components perform reliably.

Fiber Computer Allows Apparel to Run Apps and “Understand” the Wearer

What if the clothes you wear could care for your health? MIT researchers have developed an autonomous programmable computer in the form of an elastic fiber, which could monitor health conditions and physical activity, alerting the wearer to potential health risks in real time. Read on to learn more about it.

Dental Floss Measures Stress, Other Cognitive States

Chronic stress can lead to increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, decreased immune function, depression, and anxiety. Unfortunately, the tools we use to monitor stress are often imprecise or expensive. Now a Tufts team has devised a simple device using specially designed floss that can easily and accurately measure cortisol, a stress hormone, in real time. Read on to learn more.

Advanced Laser Welding Techniques for Titanium Pacemaker Housing: Achieving Precision, Reliable and Hermetic Sealing

A pacemaker is a small device that helps control your heartbeat so you can return to your normal life. It has three main...

Implementing Lean Six Sigma in the Medical Device Industry

Through universal models of self-evaluation and data analysis, the LSS methodology has proven to be an excellent tool in fostering major improvements within a business. In the medical device industry, it is particularly important that manufacturers maintain a mindset of continuous improvement and are willing to collaborate in the pursuit of common goals. Read on to learn more about it.

Ultrasonic Welding: Key Considerations for Designing Medical Wearables

The trend toward medical wearables will continue to grow in the coming years. At the same time, the requirements for skin compatibility, wearing comfort, and sustainability are increasing. Ultrasonic welding offers a reliable alternative to conventional bonding techniques to meet these increasing requirements. Read on to learn more.

Additive Manufacturing of Biomedical Metals for Medical Implant Fabrication

Biomedical metal implant materials are widely used in clinical applications, including dental implants, hip replacement, bone plates, and screws. However, traditional manufacturing processes face limitations in meeting customized medical needs, internal structural control, and efficient material utilization. Read on to learn more.

System Optimizes Behavior of 3D Printed Materials

A system has been developed to optimize the electrical, thermal, and mechanical behavior of 3D-printed materials. A team has developed an innovative computational model that makes it possible to predict and improve the behavior of multifunctional structures manufactured using 3D printers. Read on to learn more.

Precision in Miniature: New Microgripper Technology for Electronics and Assembly

Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology have unveiled an innovative electrothermal microgripper that promises to improve microelectronics, biomedical engineering, and MEMS applications. With its remarkable deformation capabilities, excellent size compatibility and reliable catch strength, the microgripper enables the manipulation and assembly of micro- and nano-scale objects with exceptional efficiency. Read on to learn more about it.

Project Set to Develop New Sustainable Materials for Application In Bioprocessing

An industry-academia collaboration to advance sustainable bioprocessing through innovative materials for additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has been announced by Innovate UK (IUK), as part of the “Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: Collaborative R&D Fund.” Read on to learn more.

Custom Rupture Disk Prototypes for Medical Devices

Medical equipment designers rely on rupture disk devices for pressure relief and pressure release of gases and liquids for essential diagnostic, life safety, and analytical instrumentation. Read on to learn more about them.

The Rising Potential of Human-Machine Collaborations

Advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and sensor fusion drive robotics functionality across many applications, including healthcare. Read on to learn what this means.

Fine-Tuned Brain-Computer Interface Makes Prosthetic Limbs Feel More Real

A team recently published papers in Nature Biomedical Engineering and Science documenting major progress on direct, carefully timed electrical stimulation of the brain that can recreate tactile feedback to give nuanced feeling to prosthetic hands. Read on to learn more.

Scientists Develop ‘Smart Pajamas’ to Monitor Sleep Disorders

Researchers have developed comfortable, washable smart pajamas that can monitor sleep disorders such as sleep apnea at home, without the need for sticky patches, cumbersome equipment or a visit to a specialist sleep clinic. Read on to learn more.

New Implant May Help Patients Regenerate Their Own Heart Valves

Georgia Tech researchers have created a 3D-printed heart valve made of bioresorbable materials and designed to fit an individual patient’s unique anatomy. Once implanted, the valves will be absorbed by the body and replaced by new tissue that will perform the function that the device once served. Read on to learn more.

Streamlining Medtech Manufacturing with Effective Communication

Manufacturing engineers tend to focus on new machinery and ways to maximize production lines. Improving communication can also increase efficiency and reduce costly and dangerous mistakes. Good communication becomes more critical as the medical device manufacturing industry grows increasingly complex with the addition of robotics and automation. Read on to learn more.

Proof of Life: The Rapid Evolution of Biosensors for Fitness, Health, and Wellness

While smartwatches and fitness trackers have paved the way, upcoming innovations in hearables (earbuds that monitor health), augmented reality glasses, smart patches and smart clothing will push the boundaries of what biosensors can do. As demand for these devices increases, the focus will shift to making them more energy-efficient, secure, and even more embedded in daily life. Read on to learn more.

Soft, Bioelectronic Sensor Implant Monitors Brain

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and New York’s Columbia University have embedded transistors in a soft, conformable material to create a biocompatible sensor implant that monitors neurological functions through successive phases of a patient’s development. Read on to learn more.

Multifunctional Biomedical Robot for Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment

Researchers have successfully developed what they believe is the world’s smallest multifunctional biomedical robots. Capable of imaging, high-precision motion, and multifunctional operations like sampling, drug delivery, and laser ablation, the robot offers competitive imaging performance and a tenfold improvement in obstacle detection. Read on to learn more.

Bioprinting Method Replicates Heart Tissues

Researchers at University of Galway have developed a way of bioprinting tissues that change shape as a result of cell-generated forces, in the same way that it happens in biological tissues during organ development. The breakthrough science focused on replicating heart tissues, bringing research closer to generating functional, bioprinted organs. Read on to learn more.