11.10.2024
A research team led by EPFL Professor Alexander Mathis has developed an AI model that provides in-depth insights into hand movements, crucial for advancing neuroprosthetics and rehabilitation technologies.19.09.2024
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a sweat-powered finger wrap that monitors vital health biomarkers such as glucose, lactate, vitamin C, and levodopa. This wearable device utilizes sweat from the wearer’s fingertip for both power and health monitoring, making it a convenient and non-invasive tool for personalized health tracking.23.05.2024
Researchers led by Rumiana Dimova at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces have developed a technique that uses light to understand and control the inner dynamics of cells. By employing lights of different colors, they can alter the interactions within cellular components, offering a precise and non-invasive method to administer drugs directly into the cells.07.05.2024
Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden (UKD) have now developed a portable device that can carry out enzyme determinations continuously and in real time after pancreatic surgery. This can counteract complications such as the development of pancreatic fistulas.30.04.2024
A team of engineers, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has developed a cutting-edge bioelectronic mesh system integrated with graphene sensors to monitor both mechanical movement and electrical signals in lab-grown human cardiac tissue.12.04.2024
A new medical technique utilizing magnet-guided microrobots for treating liver tumors has been developed by a Canadian research team, offering a potential new approach in oncology.14.12.2023
The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have developed a contacting process with which orientation aids - and e-textiles in general - can be produced more economically and conveniently.10.11.2023
Hannover Heart Rhythm Center at MHH implants Germany's first innovative defibrillator with an electrode under the sternum.09.11.2023
The research association ForNeR’s two million euro grant from the Bavarian Research Foundation's Board of Trustees integrates assistive robots for surgery through intuitive interfaces in the operating room. This not only helps patients but also supports operating room staff in performing demanding procedures.13.10.2023
Researchers at Fraunhofer are working as part of an EU research project to improve control of prosthetic hands down to individual fingers.18.09.2023
A group of researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed the world’s first microrobot (“microbot”) capable of navigating within groups of cells and stimulating individual cells.15.09.2023
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the recipients of its prestigious Starting Grants. Among them is a researcher from the Technical University of Braunschweig: Dr. Thomas Winkler will receive €1.5 million for his research on modular organ-on-chip technology to better understand neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.22.08.2023
NUS researchers have developed 'eAir', an innovative pressure sensor inspired by the lotus leaf effect. This sensor could revolutionize minimally invasive surgeries by providing tactile feedback to surgeons and improve patient experiences in monitoring intracranial pressure. Its unique design enhances precision and reliability, potentially transforming various medical applications.25.07.2023
Specific nerves may be stimulated artificially, for example to treat pain. The finer the nerves, the more difficult it is to attach the required electrodes. Researchers have now developed flexible electrodes produced with 4D printing technology. On contact with moisture, they automatically fold and wrap themselves around thin nerves.21.07.2023
For the first time, a person with an arm amputation can manipulate each finger of a bionic hand as if it was his own. Thanks to revolutionary surgical and engineering advancements that seamlessly merge humans with machines, this breakthrough offers new hope and possibilities for people with amputations worldwide.13.07.2023
Scientists are looking at ways to surveil indoor environments in real time for viruses. By combining recent advances in aerosol sampling technology and an ultrasensitive biosensing technique, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have created a real-time monitor that can detect any of the SARS-CoV-2 virus variants in a room in about 5 minutes.03.07.2023
A patch equipped with highly sensitive electronics is meant to collect and evaluate vital data. In addition, the sensors will be integrated into baby clothing in order to improve the future of medical monitoring for newborns with the highest level of data security.28.06.2023
A new hair-thin endo-microscope, developed by an international team with the participation of Leibniz IPHT, promises extremely gentle in-depth observations.26.06.2023
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a magnetically controlled soft medical robot with a unique, flexible structure inspired by the body of a pangolin. The robot is freely movable despite built-in hard metal components.10.05.2023
Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT have been working with international partners to develop a technology platform to help relieve the symptoms of muscle tremors.21.04.2023
Using electric stimulation, researchers in a project at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and the University of Freiburg, Germany, have developed a method that speeds up the healing process, making wounds heal three times faster.06.04.2023
A team of experts has designed a microfluidic device called microfluidic dynamic BH3 profiling (μDBP) that predicts the effectiveness of cancer treatment quickly and automatically.24.03.2023
Researchers at ETH Zurich, Empa and EPFL are developing a 3D-printed insole with integrated sensors that allows the pressure of the sole to be measured in the shoe and thus during any activity.24.03.2023
Together with partners from science and industry, Fraunhofer IPK is researching how mRNA therapeutics and other medication can be better produced and more effectively applied.27.02.2023
Speaking and hearing are the two most important abilities that connect humans to their environment. If they get limited through disease or injury, it is all the more important to restore them as broadly as possible. Depending on the cause for their limitation, there are different surgical treatment possibilities. We take a look at current methods in our Topic of the Month.27.02.2023
Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have found a way to use small shocks of electricity to disinfect water, reducing energy consumption, cost, and environmental impact.15.02.2023
Gattefossé, InProcess-LSP, Knauer, Microfluidics, Skyepharma, and the University of Graz join the RCPE-led European Consortium for Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (ECCPM) to jointly develop a modular, flexible toolkit to advance industrial-scale production of lipid nanoparticles.09.02.2023
Miniature assistants can act as a stimulus in cases of tinnitus or digestive tract disorders or help a person’s hand to regain the ability to grip.06.02.2023
A collaborative team from the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI) has developed a contact lens prototype that is specifically designed to prevent contact lens-induced dry eye (CLIDE).02.02.2023
In the recently launched NeuroQ lighthouse project, the project partners develop highly sensitive diamond-based quantum sensors that will enable paralyzed people to control neural exoskeletons more precisely.24.08.2022
A team led by Dr. Maximilian Kückelhaus and Prof. Tobias Hirsch from the Centre for Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Münster has carried out the first completely robot-supported microsurgical operations on humans.08.07.2022
Ex vivo studies of human obesity without animal testing? The Adipose-on-Chip system offers a solution that allows scientists to gain better insights into various obesity-linked secondary diseases and comorbidities in the future.01.03.2022
People who suffer from partial or total loss of vision caused by illness must use assistive technology to replace their sense of sight. In recent years, implants offered hope of restoring limited functional vision. Now an innovative microchip designed to help with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is currently undergoing international testing.01.12.2021
We can replace certain functions of the body with implants nowadays, others we cannot. When it comes to the human senses, we are still quite at the beginning. The technologies and materials we can use are way to coarse compared to our nervous system. But implants can also help us to maintain senses.23.08.2021
We cannot heal Parkinson’s disease yet, all we can do is alleviate the symptoms. One possibility to do this are implantable electrodes that stimulate part of the brain and counteract the characteristic tremor. In our video, Prof. Cordula Matthies and Prof. Jens Volkmann from the University Hospital Würzburg explain how this stimulation can be targeted better with a new electrode generation.15.07.2021
Excessive noise, hearing loss, vascular constriction, old age – hearing difficulties can be caused by many factors. To help improve the quality of life of people with hearing impairment, Mannheim start-up Vibrosonic have developed a new, innovative hearing aid with an integrated loudspeaker that sits directly on the eardrum.01.02.2021
In theory, autonomous medical technologies can be used in a diagnostic or therapeutic capacity inside the body under certain conditions. This may not sound like a new invention at first. After all, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators have monitored and fixed abnormal heart rhythm for many years.01.02.2021
Drugs always have undesired side effects. Cytostatics are powerful drugs used to treat cancer. They reach almost all cells in the body, killing healthy cells as well as cancer cells in the process. A targeted delivery to the specific cellular site would be a gentler treatment.23.11.2020
Active implants such as pacemakers revolutionized healthcare decades ago. But they also have disadvantages: their size and relatively short life span, for example. At Fraunhofer IZM, research is therefore being conducted on durable microimplants that stimulate nerve cells electrically in a targeted manner and are even to be used to treat multiple sclerosis.01.09.2020
Laboratories have to analyze and interpret an ever-increasing number of samples for research and diagnostic services, generating lots of data in the process. At the same time, labs are required to produce quality results and operate with speed. Processes that could once be managed using laboratory notebooks and isolated systems must become smart in the future to improve lab efficiency.23.03.2020
Germs such as bacteria, viruses or pathogenic fungi can spread from one person to another through direct contact when we shake hands or touch objects. People touch door handles and push elevator buttons in public places and constantly move in and out of spaces. Regular manual high-level disinfection is practically impossible. UVentions GmbH has found an intelligent solution for this problem.01.02.2019
In vitro processes and animal tests are used to develop new medications and novel therapeutic approaches. However, animal testing raises important ethical concerns. Organ-on-a-chip models promise to be a feasible alternative. In a system the size of a smartphone, organs are connected using artificial circulation.01.02.2019
The liver, nervous tissue or the intestines: all are important human organs that have in the past been tested for their function and compatibility using animal or in vitro test methods. In recent years, TissUse GmbH, a spin-off of the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin), has launched multi-organ chip platforms. But that’s not all.08.01.2019
Parkinson's disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that primarily affects movement of patients and makes their everyday lives very challenging. It also makes regular doctor appointments and treatment sessions necessary. "TelePark" - a project that collects different movement-related parameters using sensors and apps is designed to improve the quality of life for Parkinson’s patients.02.01.2019
Diabetes mellitus or simply diabetes has become very common and is often described as a lifestyle disease. More and more people are suffering from this chronic metabolic disorder. Next to established diagnostic procedures, digital retinal screening has shown to be successful - a promising technique that will also play an important role in the diagnosis of other diseases in the future.