Health, Medicine, & Biotechnology

New Semiconductor Detector Shows Promise for Medical Diagnostics

Detector can identify radioactive isotopes with high resolution.

Making Hydrogels More Injectable

To aid the development of gel-like materials, MIT and Harvard University researchers have created a set of computational models to predict the material’s structure and mechanical properties, as well as functional performance outcomes.

Screen-Printed Sensors Allow Earbuds to Record Brain Activity and Exercise Levels

A pair of earbuds can be turned into a tool to record the electrical activity of the brain as well as levels of lactate in the body with the addition of two flexible sensors screen-printed onto a stamp-like flexible surface.

Freeze-Resistant Hydration System

NASA’s Johnson Space Center is offering an innovative freeze-resistant hydration system for licensing. The technology substantially improves on existing hydration systems because it prevents water from freezing in the tubing, container, and mouthpiece, even in the harshest conditions on Earth.

A Bioinspired Multimaterial Soft Robotic Hand

A research paper by scientists at the University of Coimbra proposed a soft robotic hand comprising soft actuator cores and an exoskeleton, featuring a multimaterial design aided by finite element analysis to define the hand geometry and promote finger’s bendability.

Robot Reads Braille Twice as Fast as Humans

Although the robot braille reader was not developed as an assistive technology, the researchers say the high sensitivity required to read braille makes it an ideal test in the development of robot hands or prosthetics with comparable sensitivity to human fingertips.

RISING STAR AWARDS 2024 - Nomination Form

The nominations for 2024 are now closed. The entries are being evaluated by our esteemed panel of judges, which is comprised of leaders from engineering and technology fields. ⇒ Meet the...

RISING STAR AWARD RULES

The Women in Engineering: Rising Star Awards program celebrates and recognizes women engineers who are enhancing the engineering profession through contributions to the industry and society. The nominee should be a...

The First High-Resolution, 3D-Printed Brain

An international team has developed a "brain phantom," which was produced using a high-resolution 3D printing process.

Treating Liver Cancer with Microrobots Piloted by a Magnetic Field

The idea of injecting microscopic robots into the bloodstream to heal the human body is not new. It’s also not science fiction.

How Much Do You Know About Drug Delivery?

How much do you know about drug delivery and the systems used to deliver the drugs? Find out with this quiz.

Data Precision in Wearables: The Challenge of Accuracy

Exploring how innovations in wearables are making treatments more precise, portable, and patient-friendly than ever before.

New AI Tool Can Predict People’s Vaccine Attitudes

The predictive system uses a small set of data from demographics and personal judgments such as aversion to risk or loss.

Precision Health: Developing Medical-Grade Wearables

Exploring how AI algorithms analyze and interpret the data collected, leading to more accurate diagnostics and predictive insights.

Wearable Injectors: The Future of Drug Delivery

Exploring advancements in wearable injector technology, examining how these devices are transforming the administration of medications, improving patient adherence, and enhancing the overall effectiveness of treatment plans.

Universal Controller May Lead to Breakthroughs in Robotic Prostheses, Exoskeletons

A team of Georgia Tech researchers in Aaron Young’s lab has developed a universal approach to controlling robotic exoskeletons that requires no training, no calibration, and no adjustments to complicated algorithms. Instead, users can don the “exo” and go.

Continuous Monitoring: Biosensors for Health Insights

DNA-based biosensors offer a highly sensitive and specific approach for detecting a range of target molecules.

5Ws of the Dressing Robot

A bimanual dressing robot system developed at the University of York uses AI to mimic how caregivers assist humans in dressing.

Smart Contact Lenses to Diagnose Glaucoma

Usually developing slowly over time, many cases of glaucoma are only picked up during routine eye tests, by which time lasting damage may already have been caused. But this could change in the future as academics from the U.K. and Türkiye have developed a contact lens which can detect changes in eye pressure which signal possible glaucoma.

Plasma Processing of Water and Inedible Biomass for pH Control and Nutrient Recycling

Researchers at Kennedy Space Center have developed a technology that generates plasma activated water in pH ranges that allow for the addition of nitrates and other nutrients to the water while maintaining a healthy pH for plants.

Origami-Inspired Medical Patch Seals Internal Injuries

Taking inspiration from origami, MIT engineers have now designed a medical patch that can be folded around minimally invasive surgical tools and delivered through airways, intestines, and other narrow spaces, to patch up internal injuries.

Microneedle Technology Leads to Painless Tattoos

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed low-cost, painless, and bloodless tattoos that can be self-administered and have many applications, from medical alerts to tracking neutered animals to cosmetics.

Squishy, Metal-Free Magnets Power Robots and Guide Medical Implants

“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...

How To Shift Gears in a Molecular Motor

Scientists have long strived to develop artificial molecular motors that can convert energy into directed motion. Researchers at Linköping University have now presented a solution to a challenging...

3D Ice Printing Artificial Blood Vessels

New research shows the possibility of using 3D ice printing to help create structures that resemble blood vessels in the body. 3D ice printing generally involves adding a stream of water to a very cold surface.

A Self-Driving Needle Steers Through Living Lung Tissue

The lungs are one of the most difficult organs for physicians to navigate. They have a dense network of blood vessels, bronchi, and other critical anatomical structures that makes...