Pennsylvania State University

Wearable Head Scanner for Comfort, Mobility During Brain Scans

To collect accurate images of a patient's brain, the patient must be still and confined in a tube-like MRI scanner for a long period of time. To better assess their brain function and behavioral health, however, they should move naturally and freely during a scan. Researchers have proposed a solution to both clearly visualize and accurately assess the brain via photoacoustic imaging with a stretchable, flexible material.

Silicon Anodes Muscle in on Battery Technology

Silicon is a staple of the digital revolution, shunting loads of signals on a device that's likely just inches from your eyes at this very moment. Now, that same plentiful, cheap material is becoming a serious candidate for a big role in the burgeoning battery business. It's especially attractive because it's able to hold 10 times as much energy in an important part of a battery, the anode, than widely used graphite.

Nanowear

IDTechEx interviewed Venk Varadan, Co-Founder and CEO of Nanowear. They are developing a new type of nanotechnology-based sensing material in textile, with applications in AI-based remote diagnostics 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 advance flexible electronics according to researchers.

New Printing Technique for Flexible Electronics

New technology that enables more efficient and effective transfer printing for electronic devices has been developed by researchers

Prototype Robotic Device Picks and Trims Button Mushrooms

Researchers have developed a robotic mechanism for mushroom picking and trimming and demonstrated its effectiveness for the automated harvesting of button mushrooms.

Transparent Electrode Boosts Solar Cell Efficiency

Developing new ultrathin metal electrodes has allowed researchers to create semitransparent perovskite solar cells that are highly efficient and can be coupled with traditional silicon cells to greatly boost the performance of both devices, said an international team of scientists. The research represents a step toward developing completely transparent solar cells.

Skin and Bones Repaired by Bioprinting During Surgery

Fixing traumatic injuries to the skin and bones of the face and skull is difficult because of the many layers of different types of tissues involved, but now, researchers have repaired such defects in a rat model using bioprinting during surgery, and their work may lead to faster and better methods of healing skin and bones.

Stretching the Boundaries of Medical Tech with Wearable Antennae

Current research on flexible electronics is paving the way for wireless sensors that can be worn on the body and collect a variety of medical data. But where do the data go? Without a similar flexible transmitting device, these sensors would require wired connections to transmit health data.

Deep Learning Improves Air Quality Forecasts

Air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels impacts human health but predicting pollution levels at a given time and place remains challenging, according to a team of scientists who are turning to deep learning to improve air quality estimates.

Harvesting Energy from Radio Waves to Power Wearable Devices

From microwave ovens to Wi-Fi connections, the radio waves that permeate the environment are not just signals of energy consumed but are also sources of energy themselves.

Inexpensive Tin Packs a Punch for Future Supercapacitors

A sustainable, powerful micro-supercapacitor may be on the horizon. Until now, the high-capacity, fast-charging energy storage devices have been limited by the composition of their electrodes — the connections responsible for managing the flow of electrons during charging and dispensing energy. Now, researchers have developed a better material to improve connectivity while maintaining recyclability and low cost.

Implant Improves Quality of Life for People with Inner Ear Disorder

Researchers have shown that they can facilitate walking, relieve dizziness and improve quality of life in patients with inner ear disorder by surgically implanting a stimulator that electrically bypasses malfunctioning areas of the inner ear and partially restores the sensation of balance.

Wearable Sensor Monitors Health, Administers Drugs Using Saliva, Tears

A new kind of wearable health device would deliver real-time medical data to those with eye or mouth diseases.

Inexpensive Battery Charges Rapidly for Electric Vehicles

Range anxiety, the fear of running out of power before being able to recharge an electric vehicle, may be a thing of the past, according to a team of engineers who are looking at lithium iron phosphate batteries that have a range of 250 miles with the ability to charge in 10 minutes.

Stretchable Micro-Supercapacitors to Self-Power Wearable Devices

An alternative to batteries, micro-supercapacitors are energy storage devices that can complement or replace lithium-ion batteries in wearable devices. Micro-supercapacitors have a small footprint, high power density, and the ability to charge and discharge quickly.

Smart Wrap Implant may Help Bladder Control

An implantable smart wrap that fits safely and securely around the bladder may one day help people who have under-active bladders, a condition that hinders patients from urinating regularly and comfortably, according to an international team of researchers.