Health, Medicine, & Biotechnology

3D Construction of Biologically Derived Materials

NASA has developed a novel approach for macroscale biomaterial production by combining synthetic biology with 3D printing. This innovation provides modern design and fabrication techniques for custom-designed organic or organic-inorganic composite biomaterials produced from limited resources. Read on to learn more.

Smarter Pathways for Precision Drug Delivery in Cancer Care

Targeted intra-arterial delivery platforms bathe cancer directly in therapy while limiting systemic toxicity.

Knitting Machine Makes Solid 3D Objects

A new prototype of a knitting machine creates solid, knitted shapes, adding stitches in any direction — forward, backward, and diagonal — so users can construct a wide variety of shapes and add...

The Agility Equation: Discovering the Math of Human Movement for Robotics and Footwear

Researchers from UMass Amherst are working to define the primary mathematical components of running. Compared to walking, much less is understood about...

Personalized Medicine and Drug Delivery

First Ascent’s platform enables pharmaceutical partners to test drug candidates against live cancer cells.

Material Science Innovations for Medical Devices

New materials are enabling the production of medical devices that are stronger, more flexible, and more sustainable.

An AI-Powered Wearable Device to Expedite Wound Healing

A wearable device, a-Heal, designed at the University of California, Santa Cruz, aims to expedite the entire healing process. It uses a tiny camera and AI to detect the stage of healing and deliver treatment in the form of medication or an electric field.

Automation, Robotics, and AI Integration in Medical Manufacturing

AI-driven quality control, predictive maintenance, and process optimization are improving efficiency and reducing costs in medical manufacturing.

Showcasing Tomorrow’s Breakthroughs: Innovations at the 2025 Create the Future Design Contest

The 23rd annual Create the Future Design Contest was held November 7 in New York City. Read on to find out who took home the $25,000 grand prize!

Berkeley Alums Develop At-Home Robotic Rehabilitation Device

Berkeley alumni Todd Roberts (MEng’20 ME) and Owen Kent (B.A.’17 Film) have shown how an idea can turn into a product that makes a difference. The pair first developed Reflex,...

Robotic Skin Allows Tiny Robots to Navigate Complex, Fragile Environments

Researchers have developed a soft robotic skin that enables vine robots a few millimeters wide to navigate convoluted paths and fragile environments. To accomplish...

2025 Award Finalists

In this article, you’ll learn about the Create the Future Design Contest finalists in all seven categories chosen from over 600 new product ideas submitted from 67 countries.

Blood Viscosity: The Next Vital Sign – A Wearable Breakthrough in Trauma, Sepsis, and Vascular Health

The first real-time, wearable blood viscosity monitoring device fills a long-standing void in trauma, burn, and sepsis care by delivering continuous, noninvasive insights into the body’s fluid and vascular dynamics. Read on to learn more about the technology, which was the Medical finalist at the 2025 Create the Future Design contest.

Flexible Metal-Free Magnetic Gel for Soft Robotics

Soft robots, medical devices and implants, and next-generation drug delivery methods could soon be guided with magnetism — thanks to a metal-free magnetic gel developed by researchers at the University of Michigan and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany. Read on to learn more about it.

An Innovative Approach to Lower Limb Rehab Robotics

A study conducted by Fuyang Yu and his colleagues introduces an innovative approach to lower limb rehabilitation. Their research outlines the development of a lower limb rehabilitation robot designed to significantly improve the safety and effectiveness of gait training through a novel method based on human-robot interaction force measurement. Read on to learn more.

Using an AI-Powered Robotic Unicycle to Study How People Learn Complex Motor Skills

The path to recovery for stroke survivors taking their first tentative steps, or individuals navigating daily challenges from balance disorders, often feels...

How Much Do You Know About Glucose Monitors?

Your blood sugar levels can tell you a lot about your health: How well your diabetes is under control; how well your diet and exercise regimens are going; and much more. How much do you know about glucose monitors? Find out with this quiz.

How 3D Printing Is Transforming Medtech

3D printing is transforming the design and production of medical devices. Benefits include creating custom implants, prosthetics, and surgical tools tailored to individual patients, as well as the ability to quickly prototype new devices for testing and development.

Wi-Fi Signals Can Measure Heart Rate — No Wearables Needed

Traditionally, measuring heart rate requires some sort of wearable device, whether that be a smart watch or hospital-grade machinery. But new research from engineers at the...