Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Low Cost Device For Consumers to Home Test Themselves for SARS-CoV-2

With the Delta variant wreaking havoc on unvaccinated populations and COVID-19 cases spiking around the world, the pandemic is far from over. Despite the impressively fast development of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests over the last year and a half, the vast majority of patient samples must still be sent to a lab for processing, which slows down the pace of COVID-19 case tracking. If a sample is to be tested for a specific variant of the virus, it must be genetically sequenced, which takes even more time and resources.

Xinterra

Xinterra is a materials informatics start-up from Singapore. IDTechEx spoke with Patrick Teyssonneyre (CEO).

Nextiles Launches Software Development Kit

Nextiles announced a newly designed software development kit that will enable any existing application to access Nextiles' software platform and leverage its novel human movement analytics to build custom algorithms and partner-specific metrics.

Sweat-Proof 'Smart Skin' Takes Reliable Vitals, Even During Workouts

A sweat-proof "electronic skin" — a conformable, sensor-embedded sticky patch that monitors a person's health without malfunctioning or peeling away, even when a wearer is perspiring.

Knitted Keyboard Showcases the Power of Smart Textiles

Seizing on the observation that most of the world's keyboards up until this point have been somewhat rigid, the KnittedKeyboard II seeks to spark a paradigm shift in expectations by way of an interactive, textile-based musical device with the familiar layout of piano keys. And the unfamiliar nature of being a piece of musical knitwear.

Face Masks That can Diagnose COVID-19

Most people associate the term "wearable" with a fitness tracker, smartwatch, or wireless earbuds. But what if you could wear cutting-edge biotechnology in your clothing, and it could warn you when you were exposed to something dangerous?

Digital Fabric has Memory, Temperature Sensors and a Neural Network

Researchers have created the first fiber with digital capabilities, able to sense, store, analyze, and infer activity after being sewn into a shirt.

3D Printing Tiny Parts for Big Impact

Whether it's computer chips, smartphone components, or camera parts, the hardware in many products is constantly getting smaller. The trend is pushing companies to come up with new ways to make the parts that power our world.

E Ink Launches the World's First On-Cell Touch ePaper Module

E Ink today announced the launch of the world's first On-Cell Touch ePaper module. This new On-Cell touch ePaper module supports both the E Ink Kaleido Plus Print Color technology platform and the E Ink Carta black and white ePaper technology platform.

Nuclera Acquires E Ink Digital Microfluidics Unit

Nuclera, a fast-growing biotech company developing enzymatic protein and gene synthesis technologies, and E Ink, the leading innovator of electronic ink technology, are pleased to announce the acquisition of E Ink's digital microfluidics unit into the newly formed US subsidiary of Nuclera. Combining the technologies of the two companies will enable the delivery of a revolutionary desktop protein and gene "bioprinter" with breakthrough speed and convenience for researchers in human health, agriculture, and other markets of global importance.

A Material Keyboard Made of Graphene

Researchers have succeeded in turning specially prepared graphene flakes either into insulators or into superconductors by applying an electric voltage. This technique even works locally, meaning that in the same graphene flake regions with completely different physical properties can be realized side by side.

Robust Artificial Tissue Mimics Lobster Underbelly's Stretch

Researchers have fabricated a hydrogel-based material that mimics the structure of the lobster's underbelly. The researchers ran the material through a battery of stretch and impact tests, and showed that, similar to the lobster underbelly, the synthetic material is remarkably "fatigue-resistant," able to withstand repeated stretches and strains without tearing.

PivotBuoy Floating Wind Platform for Canaries Deployment

X1 Wind is preparing to deploy its ground-breaking PivotBuoy floating wind technology in the Canary Islands after successfully completing the assembly and load-out of a fully-functional prototype.

Multidisciplinary Team Developing an Immersive Avatar System

A multidisciplinary team developing an immersive avatar system that enables remote human connection has advanced to the semifinals for the $10 million ANA Avatar XPRIZE competition.

Slender Robotic Finger Senses Buried Items

Discerning buried items in granular material like sand is a taller order. To do that, a robot would need fingers that were slender enough to penetrate the sand, mobile enough to wriggle free when sand grains jam, and sensitive enough to feel the detailed shape of the buried object.

Smart Fabric Allows Users to Track Data Directly Through Clothing

Nextiles is launching into the sports and performance market to provide smart thread technology that captures biometric and biomechanics data.

New AI Tool Calculates Materials' Stress and Strain Based on Photos

For centuries, engineers have relied on physical laws — developed by Newton and others — to understand the stresses and strains on the materials they work with. But solving those equations can be a computational slog, especially for complex materials.

NASA's 3D Printed MOXIE Extracts Oxygen From The Red Planet

The growing list of "firsts" for Perseverance, NASA's newest six-wheeled robot on the Martian surface, includes converting some of the Red Planet's thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen. A toaster-size, experimental instrument aboard Perseverance called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) accomplished the task.

E Ink Announces Next Generation Four-Color E Ink Spectra 3100

E Ink Holdings announced the launch of four-color E Ink Spectra 3100, a next generation ink platform to support Electronic Shelf Labels and retail signage.