Nanogenerators for Monitoring Heart Health

A team of researchers has developed self-powered, wearable, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based contact layers for monitoring cardiovascular health. TENGs help conserve mechanical energy and turn it into power. Read on to learn more.

A New Hydrogel to Regrow Damaged Heart Tissue

University of Waterloo Chemical Engineering Researcher Dr. Elisabeth Prince teamed up with researchers from the University of Toronto and Duke University to design the synthetic material made using cellulose nanocrystals, which are derived from wood pulp. The material is engineered to replicate the fibrous nanostructures and properties of human tissues. Read on to learn more.

A Solution for Energy Transfer to Heart Pumps

A team has developed a new cable system for heart pumps that doesn’t cause infections. This is particularly important given that wireless methods of transmitting power remain unavailable to patients in the foreseeable future.

AI Advances Heart Research

A promising way to study disease and test new drugs is to use cellular and engineered tissue models in a dish, but existing methods to study heart cell contraction and calcium handling require a good deal of manual work, are prone to errors, and need expensive specialized equipment. Researchers at Columbia Engineering unveiled a groundbreaking new tool today that addresses these challenges head-on: BeatProfiler.

Exosome-Coated Stent Heals Vascular Injury, Repairs Damaged Tissue

The stent delivers regenerative stem cell-derived therapy to blood-starved tissue.

Wireless, Battery-Free, Biodegradable Blood Flow Sensor

Monitoring the success of surgery on blood vessels is challenging, as the first sign of trouble often comes too late. A new device could make it easier for doctors to monitor the success of blood vessel surgery.

Miniscule Robots of Metal and Plastic

A technique enables manufacturing of minuscule robots by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way.

Laser-based System Achieves Noncontact Medical Ultrasound Imaging

Researchers from MIT Lincoln Laboratory and their collaborators at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Ultrasound Research and Translation have developed a new medical imaging device: the Noncontact Laser Ultrasound (NCLUS).

Soft Skin Patch Could Provide Early Warning for Strokes, Heart Attacks

The patch uses ultrasound to monitor blood flow to organs.

Wearable Sensor Uses Ultrasound to Provide On-the-Go Cardiac Imaging

Researchers have developed a wearable ultrasound device — about the size of a postage stamp — that can assess both the structure and function of the human heart.

New Hydration Sensor Enables “Smart Diapers” and Other Health Monitors

A new sensor — so cheap and simple to produce that it can be hand-drawn with a pencil onto paper treated with sodium chloride — could clear the way for wearable, self-powered health monitors.

Wearable Electronics for Continuous Cardiac, Respiratory Monitoring

A highly sensitive wearable sensor for cardiorespiratory monitoring could potentially be worn continuously by cardiac patients or others who require constant monitoring.

Bioprinted 3D Cardiac Patches Could Reverse Scar Formation After Heart Attacks

The system promotes myocardial regeneration after a cardiac event.

Nanoelectronic Sensor to Simultaneously Measure Electrical, Mechanical Activity in Heart Cells

Using a suspended nanowire, a research team has created a tiny sensor that can simultaneously measure electrical and mechanical cellular responses in cardiac tissue — a first.

Q&A: Nanoelectronic Heart Cell Sensor

Professor Jun Yao and his team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, have created a tiny sensor that can simultaneously measure electrical and mechanical cellular responses in cardiac tissue.

5G Strobe Light: NIST Imaging System Spotlights the Tiny Mechanical Hearts at the Core of Every Cellphone

The new NIST instrument captures waves in action by relying on a device known as an optical interferometer.

Artificial Intelligence Tech Set to Transform Heart Imaging

The team compared its AI approach, known as virtual native enhancement, with contrast-enhanced CMR scans now used to monitor hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most common genetic heart condition.

Thin, Stretchable Biosensors Could Make Surgery Safer

Researchers formulated and synthesized the bio-inks, with the goal of creating create an ultra-soft, thin, and stretchable material for biosensors that is capable of seamlessly interfacing with the surface of organs.

Superior Organ Transport Moves Forward

A life-saving device developed by Vascular Perfusion Solutions uses compressed oxygen to extend the life of organs for transplants.

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...

Full-Sized 3D-Bioprinted Heart Model

Surgeons can use the heart model as a tool for planning and practice.

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.

Flexible Imaging Device

3D micro-printing was used to develop this small, flexible scope for looking inside blood vessels.

Cardiac Patch with Bioink Can Repair the Heart

3D bioprinting using bioink from engineered stem cells enables treatment of myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases.

Swimming Living Robots Can Self-Train

Biobots based on muscle cells can swim at unprecedented velocities.

System Enables Contactless Monitoring of Heart Rhythm Using Smart Speakers

Speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home can monitor regular and irregular heartbeats without physical contact.

Adapter Makes All Headphones Intelligent

“Dumb” headphones are made smart by turning them into sensors.

Miniature Lung-Heart Sensor on a Chip

A tiny sensor chip records multiple lung and heart signals along with body movements.