Sensors

New Products & Services

See the new products and services, including EPIGAP OSA Photonics GmbH's surface-mount device (SMD) shortwave infrared (SWIR); Moticont's linear voice coil servo motor; Dart Controls' high-performance pulse width modulation (PWM) controller for 12–48-V battery powered equipment; a compact, fullservice RTD sensor from Burns Engineering; and more.

Wearable Sensor Could Help Patients with Bipolar Disorder Track Medication Levels Through Sweat

Although lithium is highly effective to treat bipolar disorder, the chemical has a narrow therapeutic window — too high a dose can be toxic to patients, causing kidney damage, thyroid damage, or even death, while too low a dose renders the treatment ineffective. Read on to learn how a wearable sensor may thwart this issue.

Balancing Miniaturization, Power, and Compliance in Sensor Design

In this Q&A with Medical Design Briefs, Michael Klitzke, principal system architect at TE Connectivity, discusses how advances in sensor miniaturization, packaging,...

Creating Wearables for Preventative Healthcare

Wearables detect early signs of health issues, paving the way for transforming preventative healthcare.

Electrochemical Sensors Enable Inexpensive Disposable Diagnostics

Using an inexpensive electrode coated with DNA, researchers have designed disposable diagnostics that could be adapted to detect a variety of diseases, including cancer or...

New Products and Services

See the new products and services, including Dickson's mapping suite designed to streamline the identification of critical hot and cold zones and the analysis of temperature and humidity trends; Littelfuse's series of sealed tactile switches for surface-mount technology; Mahr Inc.'s height gage designed for ease of use and efficiency in production environments; and 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.

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.

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.

Researchers Develop Self-Illuminating Biosensor

Engineers have harnessed quantum physics to detect the presence of biomolecules without the need for an external light source, overcoming a significant obstacle to the use of optical biosensors in healthcare. Read on to learn more.

Smart Capsule Designed to Study GI Tract

Engineers have developed a smart capsule called PillTrek that can measure pH, temperature, and a variety of different biomarkers. It incorporates simple, inexpensive sensors into a miniature wireless electrochemical workstation that relies on low-power electronics. Read on to learn more.

Flexible Material Offers Promise for Self-Powered Wearable Sensors

Could clothing monitor a person’s health in real time, because the clothing itself is a self-powered sensor? A new material created through electrospinning, which is a...

Technology

What implantable sensor system became the first FDA-cleared continuous glucose monitor designed to remain in the body for up to 90 days?

Wearable Mimics CT Scans, Delivers Continuous Monitoring of Heart, Lungs

Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind wearable device capable of continuously scanning the lungs and heart of hospital patients while they rest in bed —...

Device Helps Diagnose Depression, Anxiety

Researchers have developed a lab-on-a-chip device measures the stress hormone cortisol from a patient’s saliva. Knowing if a patient has elevated stress hormones can provide useful diagnostic...

Device Detects Infections from Skin Temperature

An international team has developed an intelligent device capable of monitoring the temperature of the skin continuously and accurately. The device uses a thermoelectric system that works...

Researchers Explore the Future of Wearable Multisensory Haptics

While early haptic devices focused on single-sensory cues like vibration-based notifications, modern advancements have paved the way for multisensory haptic devices that...

Tiny Spectral Sensor Identifies Materials

Researchers have combined miniaturized hardware and intelligent algorithms to create a cost-effective, compact powerful tool capable of solving real-world problems in areas like healthcare. Read on to learn more.

Smart Sensor Enables Better Wound Healing

A major challenge in self-powered wearable sensors for healthcare monitoring is distinguishing different signals when they occur at the same time. Researchers have addressed this issue by uncovering...

Product Focus: Sensors

See where the product focus is this month: sensors, including a programmable IMU-based sensor system from Bosch Sensortec; tactile force sensors from Tekscan; capacitive sensors from EBE sensors + motion; and Introtek's noninvasive air bubble sensor that incorporates the latest ultrasonic technology.

Laser-Made, Ultra-Thin Material Enables Precise, Self-Powered Tracking of Healing Wounds

A major challenge in self-powered wearable sensors for healthcare monitoring is distinguishing different signals when they occur at the same time. Researchers from Penn State and China’s Hebei University of Technology addressed this issue by uncovering a new property of a sensor material. Read on to learn more about it.

Smart Textile Senses Light, Pressure, Smell, and Even Taste

Researchers have developed a multifunctional sensor based on semiconductor fibers that emulates the five human senses. The technology developed in the study is expected to be utilized in fields such as wearables, Internet of Things (IoT), electronic devices, and soft robotics. 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.

From the Editor - The 2024 Product of the Year

In December, we asked Medical Design Briefs readers to cast their ballot to choose from our eight Products of the Month the technology they felt was the most significant new introduction to the design engineering community in 2024. Here is the winner of the 2024 Medical Design Briefs’ Readers’ Choice Product of the Year. 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.

Optical Biosensor Detects Monkeypox Virus

Researchers have developed an optical biosensor that can rapidly detect monkeypox, the virus that causes mpox. The technology could allow clinicians to diagnose the disease at the point of care rather than wait for lab results. Read on to learn more.

Wearable Device Combines Multiple Sensors

A new device aims to detect acute exacerbations of chronic conditions. The wearable monitoring device contains multiple types of sensors, enabling faster and more accurate detection of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic conditions like asthma, heart disease and other inflammatory disorders. Read on to learn more about it.