National Science Foundation

Sharpest Image Ever of Universe's Most Massive Known Star

By harnessing the capabilities of the 8.1-meter Gemini South telescope in Chile, which is part of the International Gemini Observatory operated by NSF's NOIRLab, astronomers have obtained the sharpest image ever of the star R136a1, the most massive known star in the Universe. Their research challenges our understanding of the most massive stars and suggests that they may not be as massive as previously thought.

Wearable to Detect Allergens, Fire Accelerants, Chemical Markers

A researcher is creating a portable, wearable device for rapid gas analysis that could detect illness immediately. Advancements in micro-gas chromatography in the past 20 years have demonstrated great potential for the development of powerful portable gas analysis devices. But it remains a challenge to achieve efficient separation and rapid detection for effective gas analysis in a highly integrated and cost-effective platform, as well as in a mobile device.

Stickers That Can See Inside the Body

New stamp-sized ultrasound adhesives produce clear images of heart, lungs, and other internal organs.

Next-Gen Stroke Rehab: Robot at Home

Most neuro technologies are limited to the lab or clinic and are very expensive and hard to operate. This brain-controlled robotic arm requires no surgery and is accessible to robotically guide stroke rehabilitation both in clinic and at home.

Mixed Reality: The Future of High Tech Coaching in Team Sports

A coach wearing a mixed-reality headset could receive real-time statistics and facial interpretation data to evaluate a player, while also interfacing with a team of analysts and trainers who work remotely and see the same information.

Soft Printing Technique Opens the Way for Pixelated Elastics

Borrowing a technique from inkjet printers, researchers have rolled out a pixel-by-pixel method to program and manufacture soft structures for use in robotics, biomedical devices or architectural features.

Wireless Implantable Vascular Monitoring System

Vascular diseases are public enemy number one: the leading killers worldwide, accounting for nearly a third of all human deaths on the planet. Continuous monitoring of hemodynamics - blood flow through the vascular system - can improve treatments and patient outcomes. Researchers are trying to improve the odds for patients with development of an implantable soft electronic monitoring system. Their new device, consisting of a smart stent and printed soft sensors, is capable of wireless real-time monitoring of hemodynamics without batteries or circuits.

New Miniature Heart Could Help Speed Heart Disease Cures

An interdisciplinary team of engineers, biologists, and geneticists has developed a new way of studying the heart: they've built a miniature replica of a heart chamber from a combination of nanoengineered parts and human heart tissue. There are no springs or external power sources—like the real thing, it just beats by itself, driven by the live heart tissue grown from stem cells.

Joystick-Operated Robot Could Help Surgeons Treat Stroke Remotely

Engineers have developed a telerobotic system to help surgeons quickly and remotely treat patients experiencing a stroke or aneurysm. With a modified joystick, surgeons in one hospital may control a robotic arm at another location to safely operate on a patient during a critical window of time that could save the patient's life and preserve their brain function.

A Fabric That Hears Your Heart Beat

Inspired by the human ear, a new acoustic fabric converts audible sounds into electrical signals.

Imitation Red Blood Cells to Deliver Lifesaving Drugs

From the liver to the kidneys to the lungs, the human body is equipped with many levels of filters, which protect the body from harmful outside materials. But this system also has its downsides. Critically important drugs such as chemotherapy or multiple sclerosis treatments are also foreign materials, so the body filters out a large portion of these drugs - up to 90%, in some cases.

Robotic Assistive Device Helps Infants with Movement Difficulties

Researchers have received a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a robotic assistive device to help infants with movement difficulties. The soft wearable device will fit over little arms to support them or offer an extra boost in their movements.

Trial of Exoskeleton Technology for Children with Cerebral Palsy

A major, five-year clinical trial to test a treatment strategy for children with cerebral palsy using patented and patent-pending inventions comprising a lightweight, wearable robotic device that provides neuromuscular training while making walking easier.

SkyNano LLC

SkyNano LLC is a Tennessee-based start-up focusing on the electrochemical production of carbon additives using greenhouse gases as inputs. In October 2021, IDTechEx Technology Analyst Dr. Hydra Rodrigues spoke to Dr. Anna Douglas, Co-Founder & CEO of SkyNano Technologies.

Sustainable and Scalable Manufacturing of Microelectronics

Presentation on Sustainable and Scalable Manufacturing of Microelectronics Using Directed Assembly of Nanomaterials, given as a Keynote at TechConnect 2021 by Ahmed Busnaina, W. L. Smith Professor, Distinguished University Professor and Director of The Advanced Nanomanufacturing Cluster for Smart Sensors and Materials and the NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing Northeastern University, Boston, USA.

SPEC Sensors LLC

Tess Skyrme interviewed Ed Stetter, co-founder of SPEC sensors to discuss their business producing screen-printed electrochemical gas sensors, with primarily low-cost applications for OEMs in the safety, industry, air quality and health markets.

Engineers Invent Ultra-Fast Manufacturing Technology

A team of engineers has invented new technology that could forever change the manufacturing of wearable, electronic sensors. They've figured out a way to speed up production without having to use polymer binders - the industry standard in printing flexible sensors, which are often used to monitor vital signs in health care settings.

The Hidden Potential of High Efficiency Solar Cells

One of the greatest challenges of solar cells is the Shockley-Queisser limit, the assumption that there is a fundamental limit to the amount of energy a solar cell can absorb and convert into usable energy.

Nanofabrication of Electronics and Sensors

Paper on Nanofabrication of Electronics and Sensors Based on Directed Assembly of Nanomaterials by ZhiminChai, Anthony Childress, and Ahmed A. Busnaina

Which COVID-19 Patients Are Most Likely to Need Ventilators?

Researchers are developing a computational tool to help medical staff decide which patients will need the most extensive treatment for COVID-19.