Harvard University

3D-printed organ-on-a-chip with integrated sensing

Built by a fully automated, digital manufacturing procedure, the 3D-printed heart-on-a-chip can be quickly fabricated with customizable size, shape and other physical properties, while allowing researchers to easily collect reliable data for extended times in culture.

Stretchy optical fibers for implanting in the body

Researchers have developed a biocompatible and highly stretchable optical fiber made from hydrogel — an elastic, rubbery material composed mostly of water. The fiber, which is as bendable as a rope of licorice, may one day be implanted in the body to deliver therapeutic pulses of light or light up at the first sign of disease.

New kind of supercapacitor made without carbon

Researchers have for the first time developed a supercapacitor that uses no conductive carbon at all, and that could potentially produce more power than existing versions of this technology.

Robotic surgical system with sense of touch

A world-first innovation will give surgeons the sense of touch while they drive a robot to conduct keyhole surgery via a computer.

World's first ciliary stroke motion microrobots

A research team has developed microrobots with high propulsion efficiency in highly-viscous fluid environments, applying propulsion techniques that mimic the ciliary stroke motion of paramecia.

Drug-dispensing contact lens

A contact lens designed to deliver medication gradually to the eye could improve outcomes for patients with conditions requiring treatment with eye drops, which are often imprecise and difficult to self-administer.

Artificial muscle for soft robotics: low voltage, high hopes

Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a dielectric elastomer with a broad range of motion that requires relatively low voltage and no rigid components.

The first autonomous, entirely soft robot

A team of researchers with expertise in 3D printing, mechanical engineering, and microfluidics has demonstrated the first chemically powered, autonomous, untethered, entirely soft robot.

A battery inspired by vitamins

Researchers have identified a whole new class of high-performing organic molecules, inspired by vitamin B2, that can safely store electricity from intermittent energy sources.

Smart sensors can be sutured into tissue

For the first time, researchers have integrated nano-scale sensors, electronics and microfluidics into threads - ranging from simple cotton to sophisticated synthetics - that can be sutured through multiple layers of tissue to gather diagnostic data wirelessly in real time.

Soft Robotics Inc

We recently caught up with the CEO of Carl Vause, a Boston-based start-up commercialising a novel robotic gripper that is based on the principles of soft robotics.

Tough new hydrogel hybrid doesn't dry out

Engineers have found a way to prevent hydrogels from dehydrating, with a technique that could lead to longer-lasting contact lenses, stretchy microfluidic devices, flexible bioelectronics, and even artificial skin.

Scientists design energy-carrying 'Topological Plexcitons'

Scientists have engineered "topological plexcitons," energy-carrying particles that could help make possible the design of new kinds of solar cells and miniaturized optical circuitry.

Bionic leaf turns sunlight into liquid fuel

The days of drilling into the ground in the search for fuel may be numbered, because if Daniel Nocera has his way, it'll just be a matter of looking for sunny skies.

A thinner, flatter lens for wearables

Researchers have demonstrated the first flat — or planar — lens that works highly efficiently within the visible spectrum of light, covering the whole range of colors from red to blue.

Using static electricity, RoboBees can land and stick to surfaces

Roboticists demonstrate that their flying microrobots, nicknamed the RoboBees, can now perch during flight to save energy - like bats, birds or butterflies.

Printing metal in midair

The increasing demand for flexible, wearable electronics, sensors, antennas, and biomedical devices has led a research team to innovate an eye-popping way of printing complex metallic architectures as though seemingly suspended in midair.

Wearable exosuits for patients with limited mobility

The soft exosuit — which is a soft wearable robot that is the first of its kind — was developed through extensive prototyping that included the involvement of roboticists, mechanical and biomechanical engineers, apparel designers, and software engineers.

A better hologram for fraud protection and wearable optics

Researchers have programmed polarization into compact holograms, this has significant potential for wearable optics applications.

New material temporarily tightens skin

Scientists have developed a new material that can temporarily protect and tighten skin, and smooth wrinkles. With further development, it could also be used to deliver drugs to help treat skin conditions such as eczema and other types of dermatitis.