Flexible Micro LEDs for Wearables

These micro LEDs can be folded, twisted, cut, and stuck to different surfaces.

Products of Tomorrow: August 2022

This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow.

Breakthrough Lightweight AR Eyeglasses

With AR eyeglasses, the screen of a mobile device can be transitioned to the lens of a pair of eyeglasses. The problem with that is that even though the technology has been around for a while, the...

Edge Processing with Embedded Artificial Intelligence

We are currently moving into the next automation age. It is a world where your personal devices will help you track your health in real time, while conveniently connecting with your...

A Smartwatch-Based System Detects Heat Strain

A new device from Lincoln Laboratory can now alert trainees when they are heading toward injury. The device continuously estimates a person’s core body temperature to determine their risk level...

Applying Friction Principles to Finger-Device Interaction Mechanics

High-fidelity touch has the potential to significantly expand the scope of what we expect from computing devices, making new remote sensory experiences possible. The...

Material for the Next Generation of Smart Sensors

Scientists have developed color-changing, flexible photonic crystals that could be used to develop sensors that warn when an earthquake might strike next. The wearable, robust, and low-cost...

Elastic Polymer is Both Stiff and Tough

Elastic polymers, known as elastomers, can be stretched and released repeatedly and are used in applications such as gloves and heart valves, where they need to last a long time without tearing. But...

Liquid Metal Wearable Pressure Sensor

Soft pressure sensors have received significant research attention in a variety of fields including soft robotics, electronic skin, and wearable electronics. Researchers have developed a highly sensitive...

Washable, Wearable Battery-Like Devices

Wearable electronic components incorporated directly into fabrics have been developed that could be used for flexible circuits, healthcare monitoring, energy conversion, and other applications....

Graphene Made with Lasers for Wearable Health Devices

Graphene — hexagonally arranged carbon atoms in a single layer with superior pliability and high conductivity — could impact the development of future motion detection, tactile...

New Optical Component Used to Create AR/VR Headsets and Eyewear

Consumers are looking for augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) glasses that are compact and easy to wear, delivering high-quality imagery with socially acceptable optics...

Electronic Skin Reacts to Pain

Artificial skin reacts to pain just like real skin, paving the way to better prosthetics, robotics, and noninvasive alternatives to skin grafts.

Sensors Integrated in Clothing Monitor Heart Rate

The device ultimately should be able to provide accurate signals from a person who is walking, running, or climbing stairs.

Wearable Gas Sensor for Health and Environmental Monitoring

Applications include detection of chemical and biological agents as well as dangerous gases from vehicle emissions.

Miniaturized, Wireless Oxygen Sensor for Sick Infants

The mobile, wearable device could allow babies to leave the hospital and be monitored from home.

Nano Flashlight Enables New Applications of Light

Design of miniature optical systems could lead to future cell phones that can detect viruses and more.

Wirelessly Power Multiple Wearable Devices Using a Single Source

Researchers successfully demonstrated the use of the human body as a medium for transmitting and harvesting energy to power wearables.

Nanothin Piezoelectrics for Self-Powered Electronics

The nanothin material could advance self-powered electronics, wearable technologies, and even deliver pacemakers powered by heartbeats.

Inexpensive Portable Detector Identifies Pathogens in Minutes

The smartphone-based device could reduce the pressure on testing laboratories during a pandemic.

Smartphone-Based COVID-19 Test

The test uses a smartphone microscope and could deliver results in about 10 minutes.

Computer Vision App for Monitoring Diabetes

The mobile phone app enables regular monitoring of glucose levels in people with diabetes.

Smart Displays Show Information Through Fabric

The technology shines through fabrics to show notifications for email messages, time, weather, or other forms of basic information.

System Uses Smartphone or Computer Cameras to Measure Health

The camera captures pulse and respiration signals from a video of a person’s face.

Wearable Device Transforms the Human Body into a Biological Battery

The device is stretchy enough to wear like a ring, a bracelet, or any other accessory that touches the skin.

Wearable Biofuel Cells Produce Electricity from Lactate

The biofuel cells can power wearable electronics purely by using human sweat.

5 Ws of the Winged Flying Microchip

About the size of a grain of sand, the flying microchip (or microflier) does not have a motor or engine.

Q&A: Ultra-Fast Manufacturing of Wearable Sensors

An "E-Skin" material can be printed without polymer binders.

Wearable Exosuit Lessens Back Muscle Fatigue

The suit can be controlled with a double tap to the chest or via an app.