Northwestern University

Artificial intelligence accelerates discovery of metallic glass

If you combine two or three metals together, you will get an alloy that usually looks and acts like a metal, with its atoms arranged in rigid geometric patterns. But once in a while, under just the right conditions, you get something entirely new: a futuristic alloy called metallic glass.

India - off grid economics debate

India is one of those countries where grid electricity is often more expensive to produce than off grid excluding energy storage but grid electricity is much cheaper to the customer due to massive subsidies not available for minigrids.

Stretchable electronics for stroke recovery

Printed Electronics World reports on a groundbreaking new wearable designed to be worn on the throat could be a game changer in the field of stroke rehabilitation.

New fuel cell has exceptional power density and stability

A team of researchers has created a new fuel cell offering both exceptional power densities and long-term stability at optimal temperatures, a discovery that heightens the viability of incorporating fuel cells into a sustainable energy future.

Using crumpled graphene balls to make better batteries

Lithium metal-based batteries have the potential to turn the battery industry upside down. With the theoretically ultra-high capacity of lithium metal used by itself, this new type of battery could power everything from personal devices to cars.

World's smallest wearable device

A professor, working in conjunction with the global beauty company L'Oréal, has developed the smallest wearable device in the world. The wafer-thin, feather-light sensor can fit on a fingernail and precisely measures a person's exposure to UV light from the sun.

Scientists modify CRISPR to epigenetically treat diabetes

Salk scientists have created a new version of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology that allows them to activate genes without creating breaks in the DNA, potentially circumventing a major hurdle to using gene editing technologies to treat human diseases.

New method benchmarks organic mixed conductors

Organic conductors are soft materials that conduct electricity. They show promise in inexpensive, lightweight, flexible technologies, including solar cells, printable electronic circuits, and organic light-emitting diodes. More recently, their ability to interact intimately with ions and biomolecules has led to significant interest in bio-integrated electronics, such as implantable medical devices that can monitor or regulate signals inside the human body.

A new way to print electrical circuits

Graphene-based inks can be printed with traditional methods like inkjet printing. With the thickness of an atom, graphene is the thinnest material in the world — and one of its greatest potentials is its ability to be used as a conductor.

Electronic skin takes wearable health monitors to the next level

A new, electronic skin microsystem tracks heart rate, respiration, muscle movement and other health data, and wirelessly transmits it to a smartphone.

Stretchable biofuel cells extract energy from sweat to power wearables

A team of engineers has developed stretchable fuel cells that extract energy from sweat and are capable of powering electronics, such as LEDs and Bluetooth radios.

Making two out of one

In a process known as 'singlet fission', one photon simultaneously excites two electrons. If this effect can be exploited, it may well be possible to dramatically increase the power generated by solar cells.

Inexpensive organic material gives safe batteries a longer life

Modern batteries power everything from cars to cell phones, but they are far from perfect - they catch fire, they perform poorly in cold weather and they have relatively short lifecycles, among other issues. Now researchers have described a new class of material that addresses many of those concerns.

3D printed ovaries produce healthy offspring

The new world of 3-D printed organs now includes implanted ovary structures that, true to their design, actually ovulate, according to a study.

Making AI systems that see the world as humans do

Researchers have developed a new computational model that performs at human levels on a standard intelligence test. This work is an important step toward making artificial intelligence systems that see and understand the world as humans do.

Tiny, soft and wearable acoustic sensor

Researchers have developed a tiny, soft and wearable acoustic sensor that measures vibrations in the human body, allowing them to monitor human heart health and recognize spoken words.

Soft, microfluidic lab on the skin for sweat analysis

Aresearch team has developed a first-of-its-kind soft, flexible microfluidic device that easily adheres to the skin and measures the wearer's sweat to show how his or her body is responding to exercise.

Magnetic ink to print self-healing devices that heal in record time

A team of engineers has developed a magnetic ink that can be used to make self-healing batteries, electrochemical sensors and wearable, textile-based electrical circuits.

Researchers say 2D boron may be best for flexible electronics

Though they're touted as ideal for electronics, two-dimensional materials like graphene may be too flat and hard to stretch to serve in flexible, wearable devices. "Wavy" borophene might be better, according to scientists.

New electrical energy storage material shows its power

A powerful new material developed researchers could one day speed up the charging process of electric cars and help increase their driving range.