University of Pittsburgh

Drop by Drop: MXene in Complex 3D Device Architectures

Despite being only a few atoms thick, MXene packs a powerful punch. This class of single layer, two-dimensional nanomaterials exhibits desirable properties like excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, heat resistance and high specific surface area. These characteristics promise to revolutionize high-performance electronic devices and energy storage systems.

Using 3D Printed Tissues to Explore Causes of Neural Diseases

By using the most innovative 3D printing technologies to precisely control the architecture of these systems, an attempt can be made to reproduce the structural complexity of the cerebral cortex. The objective is to integrate the neural circuits with their intricate support system. This is a crucial aspect of the study, as it would allow to collect important biological data in a longer timeframe compared to the models available today.

Gefertec

Gefertec is a German manufacturer of wire-based directed energy deposition (DED) printers. IDTechEx spoke with CEO Tobias Krümberg.

Adaptable Smart Window Coating Could Cool or Heat a Home, Save Energy

The thermal energy from the sun's infrared rays is absorbed by the glass and re-emitted as heat - either used to warm the room using transparent electrical heaters in the glass substrate or reflected away to cool the room.

Windows That Outsmart the Elements

New research takes energy efficient windows a step further by proposing a new "smart window" design that would harvest the sun's energy in the winter to warm the house and reflect it in the summer to keep it cool.

Novel Brain Stimulation Approach Treats Severe Depression

Patients are awake during surgery as electrical leads are implanted in their brain. This procedure uses a first-of-its-kind approach that incorporates intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) recordings and stimulation to personalize the understanding of network behavior in the brain during a depressive state and its response to the DBS device.

Flexible, High-Performance Transparent Electrodes

The future of electronic displays will be thin, flexible and durable. One barrier to this, however, is that one of the most widely used transparent conductors for electronic displays—indium tin oxide —doesn't perform as well on larger areas and can crack and break down with wear.

Adding a Sense of Touch Improves Control of a Robotic Arm

Most nondisabled people take their ability to perform simple daily tasks for granted. When they reach for a warm mug of coffee, for instance, they can feel its weight and temperature and adjust their grip accordingly so that no liquid is spilled. People with full sensory and motor control of their arms and hands can know that they've made contact with an object the instant they touch or grasp it, allowing them to start moving or lifting it with confidence.

Finally, 3D-printed Graphene Aerogels for Water Treatment

Graphene excels at removing contaminants from water, but it's not yet a commercially viable use of the wonder material. That could be changing.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Helps Language Learning in Adults

A recent study showed language learning advantages with transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation included up to a 30% increase in accuracy and recall for some subjects.

Optomec Customer Carnegie Mellon Develops 10-Second COVID Test

Researchers have developed a low-cost sensor that can identify COVID-19 antibodies in approximately 10 seconds. The novel sensor is based on a special structure of tiny gold electrodes that are 3D printed using the Optomec Aerosol Jet process.

Non-Invasive Nerve Stimulation Boosts Learning of Foreign Language

New research by neuroscientists revealed that a simple, earbud-like device that imperceptibly stimulates a key nerve leading to the brain could significantly improve the wearer's ability to learn the sounds of a new language. This device may have wide-ranging applications for boosting other kinds of learning as well.

Smart Wound Healing Patch: DARPA Awards $22 Million Grant

Neuroengineers and bioengineers are part of a national team that's developing "smart" technology that combines artificial intelligence, bioelectronics and regenerative medicine to regrow muscle tissue for wounded soldiers.

Apollo Neuroscience

IDTechEx met with Apollo Neuroscience at their booth at CES 2020's Eureka Park. They have developed a wrist-worn product which gives vibrational patterns to promote various moods.

Scratching the Surface of Perovskites

Versatile compounds called perovskites are valued for their application in next generation solar energy technologies. Despite their efficiency and relative cheapness, perovskite devices have yet to be perfected; they often contain atomic-level structural defects.