University of Michigan

UMF Corporation

UMF Corporation have developed and commercialized high performance fibers and antimicrobial technologies for infection prevention and control. IDTechEx analyst Nadia Tsao interviewed George Clark, Founder and CEO of UMF Corporation, on 13 Oct 2020.

Mirror Like Photovoltaics Get More Electricity out of Heat

New heat-harnessing "solar" cells that reflect 99% of the energy they can't convert to electricity could help bring down the price of storing renewable energy as heat, as well as harvesting waste heat from exhaust pipes and chimneys.

Powering Robots with Biomorphic Batteries

A new rechargeable zinc battery can provide much more energy and integrate into the structure of a robot like biological fat reserves store energy in animals. This approach to increasing capacity will be particularly important as robots shrink to the microscale and below—scales at which current stand-alone batteries are too big and inefficient.

Origami Microbots: Cutting Edge Advance in Tiny Machines

Origami principles can unlock the potential of the smallest robots, enhancing speed, agility and control in machines no more than a centimeter in size.

Making Plastic More Transparent While Adding Electrical Conductivity

In an effort to improve large touchscreens, LED light panels and window-mounted infrared solar cells, a team of researchers has made plastic conductive while also making it more transparent.

An Ultra-Precise Mind-Controlled Prosthetic

In a major advance in mind-controlled prosthetics for amputees, researchers have tapped faint, latent signals from arm nerves and amplified them to enable real-time, intuitive, finger-level control of a robotic hand.

AI Could Enhance Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Disorders

Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve efficiencies and precision in sleep medicine, resulting in more patient-centered care and better outcomes, according to a new position statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Underwater Robot Takes First Known Automated Ocean Sample

A hybrid remotely operated vehicle took the first known automated sample performed by a robotic arm in the ocean.

Wearables May Provide Early Warning for Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Proof-of-concept research points to wearable monitors' potential to offer low-cost, non-invasive way to detect this dangerous bone-marrow transplant complication.

FlexDex Surgical

FlexDex Surgical, founded in 2013, is a medical technology company. Its device enables surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Membrane Produces Electricity From Saltwater

Inspired by membranes in the body tissues of living organisms, scientists have combined aramid nanofibers used in Kevlar with boron nitride to construct a membrane for harvesting ocean energy that is both strong like bone and suited for ion transport like cartilage.

Self-Transforming Robot Blocks Jump, Flip, Identify With Each Other

Swarms of simple, interacting robots have the potential to unlock stealthy abilities for accomplishing complex tasks. Getting these robots to achieve a true hive-like mind of coordination, though, has proved to be a hurdle.

Technique unlocks graphene for semiconductors

To truly be useful, graphene would need to carry an electric current that switches on and off, as silicon does in the form of billions of transistors on a computer chip.

'Wearable' device captures cancer cells from blood

A prototype wearable device, tested in animal models, can continuously collect live cancer cells directly from a patient's blood.

A robot that can walk and fly

The robot is known as LEONARDO, an acronym for LEg ON Aerial Robotic DrOne, or Leo for short. It has a capability most robots these days just don't have: It can both walk and fly.

Wearable to detect hidden anxiety, depression in young children

Anxiety and depression are surprisingly common among young children - as many as one in five kids suffer from one of them, starting as early as the preschool years. But it can be hard to detect these conditions, known as "internalizing disorders," because the symptoms are so inward-facing that parents, teachers and doctors often fail to notice them.

3D printing 100 times faster with light

Rather than building up plastic filaments layer by layer, a new approach to 3D printing lifts complex shapes from a vat of liquid at up to 100 times faster than conventional 3D printing processes, researchers have shown.

Doubling performance with lithium metal that doesn't catch fire

A rechargeable battery technology developed could double the output of today's lithium ion cells—drastically extending electric vehicle ranges and time between cell phone charges—without taking up any added space.

Robots grow mini-organs from human stem cells

An automated system that uses robots has been designed to rapidly produce human mini-organs derived from stem cells.

Artificial intelligence can help you protect your personal data

It's a safe bet that some of the websites and apps you use collect and subsequently sell your personal data. But how can you know which ones? A researcher has led the development of a program that can answer that question in just a few seconds, thanks to artificial intelligence.