In this episode, we discuss a breakthrough from ETH Zurich to mimic natural foot signals to the brain using state of the art neuroprosthetics. 

Podcast: Neuroprosthetics: The Next Step Towards Limb Reconstruction

The digital revolution has undeniably transformed how we access information and complete tasks, with laptops, tablets, and smartphones becoming ubiquitous companions in both our personal and professional lives. While these devices offer undeniable benefits, their constant use can also pose new challenges to our well-being, raising concerns about potential impacts on visual health and musculoskeletal function.One emerging area of concern is the intersection of presbyopia, a natural age-related decline in near vision, and the use of progressive lenses. These lenses, often referred to as 'no-line bifocals', &nbsp;provide wearers with a seamless transition between near and far vision, addressing the challenges of presbyopia. However, research suggests that the way we use progressive lenses, with their specific viewing zones, may subtly alter our head and neck postures, potentially leading to discomfort or even musculoskeletal disorders.To shed light on this issue, FREMAP, a leading Spanish mutual benefit association, embarked on a <a href="https://practicapreventiva.fremap.es/2023/02/09/uso-de-dispositivos-digitales-con-gafas-progresivas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">research</a> study to objectively assess the impact of progressive lenses on workplace ergonomics. Their primary objective was to quantify the visual and postural changes associated with using these lenses in a typical workstation environment. <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzEwODM2NzM4NDQxLWVtaWFwLTEuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Worker wearing progressive lenses with the Xsens motion capture sensors to analyze postural changesTo achieve this objective, the research team, led by National Ergonomics Consultant at FREMAP Prevention, D. Antonio Emir Díaz Martínez, employed <a href="https://www.movella.com/products/motion-capture" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Xsens Motion Capture technolog</a>y, specifically an upper body configuration with 11 strategically placed inertial sensors. This system was integrated with FREMAP's own ergonomics recording, analysis and representation software, utilizing <a href="https://www.movella.com/products/motion-capture/mvn-analyze" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Xsens Analyze Pro</a> for data processing. This setup allowed for the accurate capture and analysis of human movement and posture data.Antonio Emir Díaz Martínez, commented: "The use of this system allows us to quantify, concisely, precisely, and without interference with normal working conditions, the postural requirements of the cervical spine in workplaces with screens for data visualization. This is thanks to having a software solution that removes the possible interferences caused by local magnetic fields."By leveraging Xsens Motion Capture, the FREMAP researchers were able to quantify the precise head and neck movements associated with using progressive lenses while interacting with a computer screen.The research involved monitoring the grazing and cervical spine movements of a worker wearing progressive glasses while they interacted with a computer workstation. To ensure standardized conditions, the upper part of the screen was positioned at eye level, maintaining a distance of 60 cm from the worker. Additionally, the worker's posture was controlled by having them maintain their back against the chair's backrest and their elbows bent at an angle of approximately 80 degrees.Research Findings and RecommendationsThe analysis revealed that participants maintained consistent neck extension throughout the study, exceeding recommended ergonomic limits. This posture is likely linked to the need to look through the lower portion of progressive lenses for optimal near vision. While neck turning remained within acceptable limits, occasional lateral tilts suggest further ergonomic adjustments may be necessary.Based on the findings, the research makes the following recommendations for progressive lens users.<ul><li>Screen Positioning:&nbsp;Ensure the screen is positioned correctly for optimal viewing. Adjust the viewing distance based on task and screen size (400-750 mm for common office monitors). Consider increasing font size for individuals with progressive lenses to increase viewing distance and minimize reliance on the lower lens segment.</li><li>Screen Height: For progressive lens users, reduce the screen height significantly compared to the standard recommendation of aligning the top of the screen with eye level. This helps avoid neck extension for viewing through the lower lens zone.</li><li>Document Holders: Utilize adjustable lecterns or document holders to facilitate switching between digital and printed materials, minimizing strain on eye accommodation.</li><li>Recovery Breaks:&nbsp;Encourage frequent breaks to rest the eyes and change posture, especially for those wearing progressive lenses.</li><li>Occupational Spectacles: For individuals with presbyopia and prolonged digital device use, consider occupational spectacles specifically designed for computer work.</li><li>Training and Awareness:&nbsp;Educate first-time progressive lens users about adaptation exercises and the importance of adjusting their workstation layout. Encourage them to adopt healthy postural habits and avoid extended periods of static posture at their workstation.</li></ul>By implementing these recommendations, individuals who rely on progressive lenses can create a more ergonomically friendly workspace and potentially mitigate the risks associated with prolonged computer use.This research project by FREMAP provides valuable insights into the potential impact of progressive lenses on workplace ergonomics. By utilizing advanced motion capture technology like Xsens, the study offers a quantifiable and objective perspective on this complex issue. The findings can help inform future research, guide the development of ergonomic interventions, and ultimately contribute to promoting healthy workplace practices for individuals reliant on progressive lenses.Xsens motion capture for ergonomics assessments<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzEwODM3MDc2NDU2LWVtaWFwLTIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Accurate motion data: Xsens Awinda Motion Capture Technology featuring 18 inertial sensorsEnsuring proper workplace ergonomics is crucial for employee well-being, regulatory compliance, and increased productivity. This focus stems from the significant prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), often linked to poor ergonomics, affecting nearly 1.71 billion people globally.However, traditional assessment methods can be time-consuming and rely on subjective observations, potentially hindering accurate risk identification. Xsens Motion capture technology offers a compelling solution. Xsens captures objective and validated data on worker movements, eliminating subjectivity and increasing data collection efficiency. This empowers companies to swiftly identify potential hazards and make informed decisions regarding workplace design and modifications. Ultimately, this fosters safer and more productive workspaces, leading to a thriving and healthy working environment for all.<a href="https://www.movella.com/applications/health-sports/workplace-ergonomics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn more</a> about Xsens solutions for workplace ergonomics.&nbsp;

FREMAP uses Xsens motion capture to analyze the ergonomic impact of progressive lenses in the workplace and makes recommendations for improvement

Ergonomic impact of progressive lenses in the workplace

Small wearable or implantable electronics could help monitor our health, diagnose diseases, and provide opportunities for improved, autonomous treatments. But to do this without aggravating or damaging the cells around them, these electronics will need to not only bend and stretch with our tissues as they move, but also be soft enough that they will not scratch and damage tissues.Researchers at Stanford have been working on skin-like, stretchable electronic devices for over a decade. In a paper published March 13 in Nature, they present a new design and fabrication process for skin-like integrated circuits that are five times smaller and operate at one thousand times higher speeds than earlier versions. The researchers demonstrated that their soft integrated circuits are now able to drive a micro-LED screen and detect a braille array that is more sensitive than human fingertips.“We’ve made a significant leap forward. For the first time, stretchable integrated circuits are now small enough and fast enough for many applications,” said <a href="https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30855492/profiles.stanford.edu?p=eyJzIjoiOVAtVVZYVEltMTAyQXVpZ2ppSmFNd3RkQjNvIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDg1NTQ5MixcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3Byb2ZpbGVzLnN0YW5mb3JkLmVkdVxcXC96aGVuYW4tYmFvXCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiMGM2YWMxYWU5MTg4NGZjYWFjMzI1ZDc2M2MyZDhhODdcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCJkMGY0ZGMxYjBmMDE3OTkzNjhmOGE4NzJlMmViNzQ3ZTFjZmNmMjBkXCJdfSJ9" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Zhenan Bao</a>, a K. K. Lee Professor in Chemical Engineering at Stanford and senior author on the paper. “We hope that this can make wearable sensors and implantable neural and gut probes more sensitive, operate more sensors, and potentially consume less power.”<h2>Flexible, stretchable, and functional</h2>The core of the circuits are stretchable transistors made from semiconducting carbon nanotubes and soft elastic electronic materials developed in Bao’s lab. Unlike silicon, which is hard and brittle, the carbon nanotubes sandwiched between elastic materials have a fishnet-like structure that allows them to continue to function while they stretch and deform. The transistors and circuits are patterned onto a stretchable substrate, along with stretchable semiconductor, conductor, and dielectric material.“This is many years of material and engineering development,” Bao said. “We not only needed to develop new materials, but we also needed to develop the circuit design and the fabrication process to make the circuits. There are many layers stacked together and if one layer doesn’t work, we have to restart everything from scratch.”In one demonstration of their new stretchable electronics design, the researchers were able to fit more than 2,500 sensors and transistors into a square centimeter, creating an active-matrix tactile array over ten times more sensitive than human fingertips. The researchers showed that the sensor array can detect the locations and orientation of tiny shapes or recognize whole words in Braille.“With Braille, you usually sense one letter at a time,” said <a href="https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30855492/baogroup.stanford.edu?p=eyJzIjoiQWFWMU9jM2VqYXZMR2g5TFVfMnRPcTE4cGxnIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDg1NTQ5MixcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2Jhb2dyb3VwLnN0YW5mb3JkLmVkdVxcXC9wZW9wbGVcXFwvZG9uZ2xhaS16aG9uZ1wiLFwiaWRcIjpcIjBjNmFjMWFlOTE4ODRmY2FhYzMyNWQ3NjNjMmQ4YTg3XCIsXCJ1cmxfaWRzXCI6W1wiNTgyODY0ZTdiMWU3NWU4ZGRiOWM5OWIyOTI5YWU1YTFiODU3MDZiYVwiXX0ifQ" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Donglai Zhong</a>, a postdoctoral researcher in Bao’s lab and co-first author on the paper. “With such a high resolution, you could sense a whole word, or potentially a whole sentence, with just one touch.”The researchers also used their stretchable circuits to drive a micro-LED display with a refresh rate of 60 Hz, which is the typical refresh rate of a computer or TV screen. Previous versions of the stretchable circuits weren’t fast enough at small sizes to generate enough current to accomplish this.“We’re really excited about these performance improvements because they enable us to do a lot of new things,” said <a href="https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30855492/baogroup.stanford.edu?p=eyJzIjoia1V0NTdYUFNUVGxncTZEZFg0RWh1MGRnRDg0IiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDg1NTQ5MixcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2Jhb2dyb3VwLnN0YW5mb3JkLmVkdVxcXC9wZW9wbGVcXFwvY2FuLXd1XCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiMGM2YWMxYWU5MTg4NGZjYWFjMzI1ZDc2M2MyZDhhODdcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCI4MTliZDk3YzY5NzMxMjg0ZjcwMDgwNTY4MDdhZjFjOGNlYmE0ZTExXCJdfSJ9" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Can Wu</a>, a postdoctoral researcher in Bao’s lab and co-first author on the paper. “Preliminary results demonstrate that our transistor can be used to drive commercial displays commonly used in computer monitors, for example. And for biomedical applications, a high-density, soft, and conformable sensing array could allow us to sense human body signals, such as from our brains and muscles, at a large scale and fine resolution. This could lead to next-generation brain-machine interfaces that are both high-performance and biocompatible.”<h2>Soft circuits for the future</h2>The researchers intentionally developed materials and processes that could work with existing fabrication tools, so that the circuits could make the jump to commercial manufacturing more easily. Their process relies on fabrication techniques similar to what is currently used for making display screens, although the materials involved are entirely different. Manufacturers wouldn’t be able to make these circuits without some additional fine-tuning, but the tools are already in place, Bao said.Of course, there are more hurdles before these stretchable and soft integrated circuits can be ready for commercialization. Body and tissue movement can still cause some variation in the electrical characteristics of the circuits – Bao and her colleagues are working on new designs that could reduce these effects – and the devices will need some sort of soft moisture protection before they can be put to use.“There are still challenges for the future of this technology, but these recent developments open up some very exciting biomedical applications for wearable and implantable electronics,” Bao said. “And it also has applications in soft robotics, giving robots a sensing functionality that approaches that of humans and makes them safer for people to work with.”Bao is a member of&nbsp;<a href="https://biox.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Stanford Bio-X</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/cvi.html" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Stanford Cardiovascular Institute</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://humanperformance.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://neuroscience.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute</a>, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/mchri.html" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Maternal &amp; Child Health Research Institute</a>; an affiliate of the&nbsp;<a href="https://energy.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Precourt Institute for Energy</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://woods.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment</a>; and a faculty fellow of&nbsp;<a href="https://chemh.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Sarafan ChEM-H</a>. Bao is an investigator of CZ-Biohub-San Francisco and an innovation investigator of Arc Institute.Other Stanford co-authors of this research include research scientist Jeffrey B.-H. Tok; postdoctoral researchers Yuanwen Jiang (Co-first-author), Min-gu Kim, Chien-Chung Shih, Jian-Cheng La, Chuanzhen Zhao, Shiyuan Wei, Xiaozhou Ji, Yi-Xuan Wang, Chengyi Xu, Naoji Matsuhisa, Yusheng Lei, Deya Liu, Song Zhang, and Yuto Ochiai; and doctoral students Yujia Yuan, Yuya Nishio, Weichen Wang, Theodore Z. Gao, Yu Zheng, Zhiao Yu, Huaxin Gong, and Shuhan Liu.

Intrinsically stretchable transistors and integrated circuits under large deformation after being released from the supporting substrate. | Image courtesy of Donglai Zhong, Jiancheng Lai, and Yuya Nishio of the Bao Group

Stanford researchers have developed soft integrated circuits that are powerful enough to drive a micro-LED screen and small enough to read thousands of sensors in a single square centimeter.

Smaller, more powerful stretchable electronics for wearables and implantables

Testa-Seat has been recognized for its use of FGF 3D printing to create custom seating solutions for children with disabilities. This product is the winner of the 2024 &nbsp;3D Printing FGF Engineering Challenge, an engineering challenge aimed at identifying and nurturing innovative applications of fused granule fabrication technology. Testa-Seat will receive $25,000 worth of support from Mitsubishi Chemical Group to improve the 3D printing material, design, and manufacturing process for their business.<h2 dir="ltr">Background and Objective</h2>Adaptive seating for children with disabilities presents a complex challenge, requiring solutions that can adapt to diverse needs while being economically viable. Traditional methods often fall short, being either too expensive or not sufficiently customizable. Testa-Seat, developed by Alexander Geht and his team, introduces a new approach to this problem, leveraging 3D printing to offer affordable tailored support systems.Traditional seating is often not suitable for children with disabilities who require more support or differently sized seating options. Appropriate seating enables these children to increase their access to education, the labour market, and other activities of daily life.<h2 dir="ltr">Testa-Seat’s Approach</h2>The core innovation lies in Testa-Seat’s utilisation of 3D printing technology, specifically Fused Granule Fabrication (FGF), to manufacture seating solutions that are both customizable and cost-effective.This process begins with the precise measurements of the user, which are then input into a design system to create a digital model of the seat. The 3D printer uses ABS pellets, a type of plastic known for its strength and flexibility, to build the seat layer by layer. This method allows for the production of seats that are perfectly contoured to the individual's body, ensuring maximum support and comfort without the need for traditional and often imprecise casting or moulding techniques.&nbsp; The use of FGF not only streamlines the manufacturing process but also significantly reduces waste, as materials are only used where necessary, contributing to the environmental sustainability of the project.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzEwNTA4NjAwNjg0LUlNRy01MTQ2LmpwZWciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Image credit: Testa-Seat<h3 dir="ltr">Technical and Manufacturing Readiness</h3>Testa-Seat has reached a significant level of technical readiness, having been tested and optimised through the delivery of over 120 seating systems to rehabilitation centres, hospitals, and private customers. The manufacturing process, currently capable of producing around 300 seats per year, is set for expansion in the near future.<h3 dir="ltr">Team and Expertise</h3>The project is driven by a diverse team of experts, including founder and CEO Alexander Geht, an expert in additive manufacturing, and a range of advisors and board members with backgrounds in entrepreneurship, law, physical therapy, industrial design, and assistive technology.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzEwNTA4NjU5ODA0LUlNRy01ODIwLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Image credit: Testa-Seat<h3 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h3>Testa-Seat's victory in the engineering challenge is a step forward in making everyday life more accessible for children with disabilities. As Testa-Seat continues to develop and refine its products, it sets a precedent for how innovation and technology can work hand in hand to address complex challenges in healthcare and accessibility.<h3 dir="ltr">Special Mention</h3>The competition saw numerous compelling entries, and besides the winner, two submissions particularly distinguished themselves.From Poland, the startup HELIX, initiated by Filip Turzynski, is pioneering a compact, cost-effective, durable, and versatile FGF extrusion system adaptable to a wide range of both desktop and industrial 3D printers. This innovation transforms pellet-based 3D printing by allowing for the creation of smaller components with a broader array of printing materials.In the United States, Bala Cherukuri and his team at Center Street Technologies have introduced a breakthrough in large format additive manufacturing using water-soluble polymer pellets. Their innovation is centred on the production of cores and mandrels for composite parts, especially useful in the large-scale production of airframes.Interested in learning more about engineering challenges? Sign up on the Wevolver newsletter to get the latest updates.&nbsp;<iframe src="https://c8056756.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFALo-2r_R7W9fdBHNYADE_tozH2lGA3267iamBDH7KM7kSRNIXJhxk3rIigppuA71AKPAUKQ2FpoQH5LGwdznoCnlUnfYaX90-GOcvLV3_hT-Q-m2jB4wucnawOohsedgPtjhnzcTcN66N8L37JMppoPJ9N1DrdaHVEeunYrLASbtH4NxojhTFZ4oDL-XBbS5hoeVHKi3z9wl" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" allowfullscreen="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 540px; height: 325px;" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> <h2 dir="ltr">About Mitsubishi Chemical Group Growth Garage</h2>Growth Garage is the Open Innovation Hub of the Mitsubishi Chemical Group. Its mission is to support and develop new ideas and projects using advanced manufacturing technologies and Specialty Materials, to help tackle some of today's biggest engineering challenges. Growth Garage is offering opportunities for engineers, innovators, and entrepreneurs from startups, scaleups and innovative companies to join the community and submit their ideas and projects through the open innovation programs. Successful applications will get exposure and access to Mitsubishi Chemical Group’s network of industry experts, Mitsubishi Chemical Group’s Corporate Venture Capital team and business partners to advance their ideas and projects.

3D printed Body-contouring Therapeutic Positioning Equipment provides support for people with mild to moderate control of the body and reduces damage caused by improper seating during child development.


Revolutionizing Comfort: Testa-Seat Triumphs in the FGF Engineering Challenge with Innovative 3D-Printed Adaptive Seating

In this episode, we discuss a novel sticker capable of monitoring the health of organs in real time allowing for more successful organ transplants and catching signs of diseases earlier than ever!

Podcast: Sticker to Monitor Your Internal Organs

Fat tissue holds the key to 3D printing layered living skin and potentially hair follicles, according to researchers who recently harnessed fat cells and supporting structures from clinically procured human tissue to precisely correct injuries in rats. The advancement could have implications for reconstructive facial surgery and even hair growth treatments for humans.&nbsp;The team’s findings published today (March 1) in&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2023.10.034" target="_blank">Bioactive Materials</a>. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the team a patent in February for the bioprinting technology it developed and used in this study.&nbsp;“Reconstructive surgery to correct trauma to the face or head from injury or disease is usually imperfect, resulting in scarring or permanent hair loss,” said Ibrahim T. Ozbolat, professor of engineering science and mechanics, of biomedical engineering and of neurosurgery at Penn State, who led the international collaboration that conducted the work. “With this work, we demonstrate bioprinted, full thickness skin with the potential to grow hair in rats. That’s a step closer to being able to achieve more natural-looking and aesthetically pleasing head and face reconstruction in humans.”While scientists have previously 3D bioprinted thin layers of skin, Ozbolat and his team are the first to intraoperatively print a full, living system of multiple skin layers, including the bottom-most layer or hypodermis. Intraoperatively refers to the ability to print the tissue during surgery, meaning the approach may be used to more immediately and seamlessly repair damaged skin, the researchers said. The top layer — the epidermis that serves as visible skin — forms with support from the middle layer on its own, so it doesn’t require printing. The hypodermis, made of connective tissue and fat, provides structure and support over the skull.“The hypodermis is directly involved in the process by which stem cells become fat,” Ozbolat said. “This process is critical to several vital processes, including wound-healing. It also has a role in hair follicle cycling, specifically in facilitating hair growth.”The researchers started with human adipose, or fat, tissue obtained from patients undergoing surgery at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Collaborator Dino J. Ravnic, associate professor of surgery in the Division of Plastic Surgery at Penn State College of Medicine, led his lab in obtaining the fat for extraction of the extracellular matrix — the network of molecules and proteins that provides structure and stability to the tissue — to make one component of the bioink.Ravnic’s team also obtained stem cells, which have the potential to mature into several different cell types if provided the correct environment, from the adipose tissue to make another bioink component. Each component was loaded into one of three compartments in the bioprinter. The third compartment was filled with a clotting solution that helps the other components properly bind onto the injured site.“The three compartments allow us to co-print the matrix-fibrinogen mixture along with the stem cells with precise control,” Ozbolat said. “We printed directly into the injury site with the target of forming the hypodermis, which helps with wound healing, hair follicle generation, temperature regulation and more.”They achieved both the hypodermis and dermis layers, with the epidermis forming within two weeks by itself.“We conducted three sets of studies in rats to better understand the role of the adipose matrix, and we found the co-delivery of the matrix and stem cells was crucial to hypodermal formation,” Ozbolat said. “It doesn’t work effectively with just the cells or just the matrix — it has to be at the same time.”They also found that the hypodermis contained downgrowths, the initial stage of early hair follicle formation. According to the researchers, while fat cells do not directly contribute to the cellular structure of hair follicles, they are involved in their regulation and maintenance.“In our experiments, the fat cells may have altered the extracellular matrix to be more supportive for downgrowth formation,” Ozbolat said. “We are working to advance this, to mature the hair follicles with controlled density, directionality and growth.”According to Ozbolat, the ability to precisely grow hair in injured or diseased sites of trauma can limit how natural reconstructive surgery may appear. He said that this work offers a “hopeful path forward,” especially in combination with other projects from his lab involving printing bone and investigating how to match pigmentation across a range of skin tones.“We believe this could be applied in dermatology, hair transplants, and plastic and reconstructive surgeries — it could result in a far more aesthetic outcome,” Ozbolat said.“With the fully automated bioprinting ability and compatible materials at the clinical grade, this technology may have a significant impact on the clinical translation of precisely reconstructed skin.”Ravnic and Ozbolat also are affiliated with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Penn State Cancer Institute. Ozbolat has additional affiliations with the Penn State Materials Research Institute and the Department of Medical Oncology at Cukurova University in Turkey, where he is currently on sabbatical leave. Other contributors include Yogendra Pratap Singh, postdoctoral scholar, and Mecit Altan Alioglu, graduate student, both in the Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics; Youngnam Kang and Miji Yeo, both researchers, and Irem Deniz Derman, graduate student, in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences; Yang Wu, Harbin Institute of Technology in China; and Jasson Makkar and Ryan R. Driskell, College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University. Kang, Yeo, Singh, Alioglu and Derman also are affiliated with Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics.

Miji Yeo, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State, checks the bioink cartridges on a 3D printer developed to intraoperatively print layers of skin. Credit: Michelle Bixby/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Bioengineered advancement may have implications for more natural-looking reconstructive surgery outcomes, according to international research team

3D-printed skin closes wounds and contains hair follicle precursors

<h2 id="isPasted">What is silver/silver chloride ink?</h2>‍Silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) is a conductive ink typically used to print electrodes for biomedical applications. It’s a non-toxic, environmentally friendly ink with stable electrochemical potential used to create disposable on-skin medical electrodes for biosensors, like "ECG, EEG and TENS electrodes; defibrillator pads; transdermal drug delivery; biomedical sensors and reference electrodes," according to <a href="https://www.creativematerials.com/products/ag-agcl-inks/" target="_blank">Creative Materials</a>.&nbsp;‍<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1709524616616-63d022dacfb6e86a1a3cf1c4_ffhgM2WgWmVRDuIv4GtMPtOgJnNsHrpU0DlhQb2hw9DhzCZ4C7IujXkmI6-Wb1oQkcFbDkFukxQI-6qOCSdGzc-RG3ihBfYeMomcrtZXFV6dX66qBWO6I56fjNV7IngcIVg4ZVpc3em72_ZUQ7XEEeOsDnoXYJ3UkXIu4GSpT1uTJ1njEsNQKtcxJaKNC.png" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Source: Henkel<h3 id="isPasted">Features:</h3><ul><li>Silver-to-silver chloride ratios can be adjusted and blended to achieve different resistance values and sensitivity levels.&nbsp;</li><li>The ink has a smooth surface finish with excellent adhesion and crease resistance when printed onto polyester and plastic substrates.&nbsp;</li><li>Silver/silver chloride is compatible with screen printing and direct-ink-writing printing technology.&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>Smart health patches</h2>‍Used in both healthcare and athletics applications, smart health patches deliver new capabilities in monitoring. These devices can continuously measure heart rate, brain activity, movement, and other body functions. <a href="https://www.quad-ind.com/smart-health-patches-to-run-smart/" target="_blank">Quad Industries’ Smart Health Patch</a>, designed to optimize training for ultra-runners, is made using Henkel’s silver/silver chloride ink.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1709524652661-63d022daa5cbee3ab018e3e7_8VgrqoubKIfwaL1zITpxMMjBjwZ0pwQdx2p_UCyq48yZIDh9jqqb281s3xO3BjQ7xTJO1oM0xUcUoKoQ6506xXmB2AnVlUENl_QzrSiBiDSWsE25qMLNrOtCmqt1c8hxKm-xZMRmZoxMabvNRQA6Udn9Q6RByf0cqbC_Dy22HfbQWYy4S7Tu8SvzcJjw9.png" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Source: Quad Industries<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1709524667591-63d022dac9c95f5daebb1936_7x7-GMmj24mLom3wqW-nHmMi9PeRUDPwS6Pv5tYsxw_QONplpV8Uyxc6qzd6FJCo3t4G_uNybUwFGiJohdDlYNlrqbXxN0Dv3g1kujpKAT8hPn5BLnvSYClXC0DZIMi8kvIL44HJyqEZwq3CgivP2w_SNr8UElf52dxJI3B_k1N1qiwnP6yNkXgmyRzOe.png" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><figure data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align="center" id="isPasted"><figcaption>Source: Quad Industries‍</figcaption></figure>‍Silver/silver chloride ink is also used to print glucose sensors for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) patches like Freestyle Libre.CGM patches are being widely adopted for diabetes management. Rather than pricking a finger several times a day to monitor glucose levels, the CGM continuously measures glucose in the blood and interfaces with a reader device or smartphone app. This allows patients to monitor glucose levels throughout the day and refine the timing for their insulin injections.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1709524688181-63d022da3ae9a36f914066d5_hHSjbJgZWS36H1qokZ_5LN2coCJiIs7H9b7Uw6TUm0o7Qbss4LCqngtZB53W-wdG_sMiMR7KnUMKSRcuX3OhSHY_ngYl7SoPJEe1ZVD_LTrvMQfALXzmxpZAVSwQMxAkHLrVb_SZ0MxJqfYS9fmmN_cH8CSOwUOq1YLmYLEZqfyrDEwgtp1lhSBGSFLoV.png" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Source: Healthline<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1709524702228-63d022da3916c36e5646942d_QdXGhsRpN4wtDyT6VosSkgxf0n4hxX7QICaxkDGbyBOM1Ar0t7ehDpr8ZQoIHzbhKxWRzY8_0G1bBz20I3Yi61Pf0pI0vCZ-6Bd6a7TGwEZp6waSXE0_Ascb-h8PVZQsQcwqcIt5-SUFVGauo6chHPNjqTfZa3hUNWCJfkaXF0WyMdRWn0TQdMiYLySC.jpeg" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Source: Advanced Technologies and Polymer Materials for Surgical Sutures<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1709524715190-63d022dad7285c542dc110f7_YSW1DtYARgBxTI1OcJYkuL_bHjR4eAI01NARpWowdleL1PdML6EBfQ_ksZ3d9jS4o9G6m6beeDeroNPsSs1OxRiOhx7wZA7-ws935lrFJZpgSVoHFMf49r1TYDTgE-eP-sOOrhR3C15nlwi19GzLEiqP-VQNR-vhQo7fOW3MlwK5SiBN7Uh-ltI3qhHSP.png" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Source: HenkelIn recent years, CGMs also have become a tool for athletic performance. Endurance athletes use CGMs to monitor for dips in glucose during training, and then methodically dial in their fuel strategy and nutrition plan accordingly. The <a href="https://www.supersapiens.com/" target="_blank">Supersapiens</a> glucose monitoring system is being leveraged by athletes like Crossfit Games champion Samantha Briggs, olympic triathlon gold medalist Kristian Blummenfelt, and endurance obstacle course world champion Ryan Atkins.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1709524734463-63d022dabc5f8813d838b2d8_x7tSiD3dwvioNowEvZUasv-THGBtHupPy1ikaI29n8xyFH_LLcNtG0P3YC-ZncS2A82C9caDVwLeK1aHPlWYoN5ex_AI4YwzcVdOPMuK5d9AG7Os9XvLz1v68Xk56Uu_Q_DKjbceQ84tf8ZoTsFuLDn4GvyU6fWrkS92eL7nrIRSUA7ehMEgPfYecPW2F.png" style="width: 768px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Source: SupersapiensSilver/silver chloride ink can also be paired with TPU used to print stretchable interconnections for constructing <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6163896/" target="_blank">medical sensor textiles</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00405175211005039" target="_blank">smart textile garments</a>. Commercialization has been limited due to lack of cost-effective, standard fabrication processes that can be applied to a large variety of fabrics, but companies like <a href="https://softmatter.io/" target="_blank">Softmatter</a> and <a href="https://www.memtronik.com/printed-electronics/smart-clothing/" target="_blank">Memtronik</a> now offer customized smart-garment design and fabrication.<hr><h2>I want this ink. Where do I start?</h2><h4>‍Henkel Adhesive Technologies</h4>If you work in the engineering world, you’re probably familiar with Loctite, a line of products by Henkel Adhesive Technologies. Loctite EDAG 7019 E&amp;C is a silver/silver chloride conductive ink, formulated to provide excellent adhesion to the wide variety of substrates used in the manufacture of electrically conductive medical devices.&nbsp;Read the datasheet here: <a href="https://tds.henkel.com/tds5/Studio/ShowPDF/?pid=EDAG%207019%20EC&format=MTR&subformat=HYS&language=EN&plant=WERCS&authorization=2" target="_blank">LOCTITE EDAG 7019 E&amp;C Technical Data Sheet </a>Henkel also sells a&nbsp;<a href="https://print-your-electronics-with-loctite.com/LOCTITE-SENSOR-DEMONSTRATOR" target="_blank">Loctite sensor demonstrator kit</a> with twelve dry adhesive electrodes for medical research and technical material validation. Henkel Adhesive Technologies have developed a wide portfolio of innovative solutions in adhesives, sealants, inks, and functional coatings.&nbsp;<h4>Dupont</h4>‍Another option is Dupont 5874 silver/silver chloride, which is designed for screen printing on polyester, and is suitable for a wide variety of biomedical applications. Dupont is an industry leader in materials development, combining scientific and applications development expertise to accelerate innovation. Read the datasheet here: <a href="https://www.dupont.com/content/dam/dupont/amer/us/en/mobility/public/documents/en/EI-10086-DuPont-5874-Ag_AgCI-Composition-Data-Sheet.pdf" target="_blank" data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">Dupont 5874 silver/silver chloride composition for screen printing</a><h4>Kayaku Advanced Materials‍</h4>Kayaku Advanced Materials also offers a silver/silver chloride conductive ink, designed for screen printing medical EEG and EKG sensors. Kayaku develops and manufactures innovative specialty materials to push the latest innovation trends. Read the datasheet here: <a href="https://kayakuam.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/agcl-675-silver-chloride-ink.pdf" target="_blank" data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">AGCL-675 SILVER/SILVER CHLORIDE INK&nbsp;</a>

‍Silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) is a conductive ink typically used to print electrodes for biomedical applications.

Materials Feature: Silver or Silver Chloride Ink

After the incredible impact of the previous Build2gether 1.0 challenge, we’re thrilled to invite innovators, dreamers, and engineers from around the globe to participate in this year's challenge for groundbreaking solutions that enhance accessibility for people with disabilities.Objective: Focus on creating assistive technologies that address the unique challenges faced by individuals with visual and mobility impairments, enhancing their daily lives both indoors and outdoors.Prizes:&nbsp;Over $100,000 in Prizes.&nbsp;From the Build2Gether 2.0 Ultimate Award to multiple category prizes and lucky draws.<a href="https://wevlv.co/btg2-hack-lp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="button-main-action">Learn more</a><h2 id="isPasted">Two Paths to Innovation</h2>This year's challenge is organized into two main focus areas, each divided into two specific tracks to guide your innovations. There are several Contest Masters (i.e., experts in the disability space) helping you in each track.VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS<ul><li>Track 1:Adaptation for&nbsp;OUTDOOR&nbsp;Activities for people with visual impairments with Contest Masters: Marc Chiang, Steady Goh, Stuart Francis, Tony Morgan, Kah Wee Neo, Joan Hung Hui Xin, and Josh Tseng.</li><li>Track 2:Adaptation for INDOOR Activities for people with visual Impairments&nbsp;with Contest Masters: Amanda Chong, Amanda Swafford, Benson Loo, Hong Sen, Patricia Poo, Alan Etermi, and Dallon Au Yew Zhang.</li></ul>MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS<ul><li>Track 1:&nbsp;Accessible HOME &amp; TOOLS&nbsp;for people with mobility impairments&nbsp;with Contest Masters: Paul Fjare, Drew McPherson, Paul Amadeus Lane, and Vivek Gohil.</li><li>Track 2:&nbsp;Accessible SPORTS &amp; HOBBIES for People with Mobility Impairments&nbsp;with Contest Masters: Julie Keenan, Ashley Lindsey, Jake Scarborough, and Hoàng Gia Khánh.</li></ul><h3>Win Big and Make an Impact:</h3><ul><li>200 Hardware SUPERBOXES up for grabs, each packed with cutting-edge tech.</li><li>Over $100,000 in Prizes: From the Build2Gether 2.0 Ultimate Award to multiple category prizes and lucky draws.</li></ul>The SUPERBOX contains the following hardware:<ul><li><a href="https://blues.com/" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"Blues","href":"https://blues.com/","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blues</a>' kit worth $130 (<a href="https://shop.blues.com/collections/swan/products/swan" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"Swan v3","href":"https://shop.blues.com/collections/swan/products/swan","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Swan v3</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.blues.com/collections/notecarrier/products/carr-al" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"Notecarrier AL or AA","href":"https://shop.blues.com/collections/notecarrier/products/carr-al","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Notecarrier AL or AA</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.blues.com/collections/notecard/products/notecard" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"Notecard Cellular NBGL","href":"https://shop.blues.com/collections/notecard/products/notecard","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Notecard Cellular NBGL</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.blues.com/collections/notecard/products/wifi-notecard" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"Notecard WiFi v1","href":"https://shop.blues.com/collections/notecard/products/wifi-notecard","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Notecard WiFi v1</a>).</li><li><a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"Nordic Semiconductor","href":"https://www.nordicsemi.com/","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nordic Semiconductor</a>'s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/nrf52840-dk" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"nRF52840 DK","href":"https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/nrf52840-dk","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">nRF52840 DK</a>&nbsp;worth $40.</li><li><a href="https://www.seeedstudio.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA29auBhBxEiwAnKcSqoK1Oe2qAYQ7zDNvRcVUjsKDK6-d3mpEPcpYo00BeFEuC66g1oDICRoCqM4QAvD_BwE" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"Seeed Studio","href":"https://www.seeedstudio.com/?gad_source=1\u0026gclid=CjwKCAiA29auBhBxEiwAnKcSqoK1Oe2qAYQ7zDNvRcVUjsKDK6-d3mpEPcpYo00BeFEuC66g1oDICRoCqM4QAvD_BwE","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Seeed Studio</a>'s kit worth $20 (<a href="https://www.seeedstudio.com/XIAO-ESP32S3-Sense-p-5639.html" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"XIAO ESP32S3 Sense","href":"https://www.seeedstudio.com/XIAO-ESP32S3-Sense-p-5639.html","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">XIAO ESP32S3 Sense</a>&nbsp;+&nbsp;<a href="https://www.seeedstudio.com/Grove-Shield-for-Seeeduino-XIAO-p-4621.html" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"Grove Shield for Xiao","href":"https://www.seeedstudio.com/Grove-Shield-for-Seeeduino-XIAO-p-4621.html","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grove Shield for Xiao</a>).</li><li><a href="https://www.dfrobot.com/" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"DFRobot","href":"https://www.dfrobot.com/","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DFRobot</a>&nbsp;$80 giftcard for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dfrobot.com/product-2691.html" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"UNIHIKER","href":"https://www.dfrobot.com/product-2691.html","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">UNIHIKER</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.pcbway.com/" data-ha='{"eventName":"Clicked link","customProps":{"value":"PCBWay","href":"https://www.pcbway.com/","type":"story","location":"story"},"clickOpts":{"delayRedirect":true}}' rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PCBWay</a>&nbsp;$40 giftcard.</li></ul><h3 id="isPasted">Key Dates</h3><table><tbody><tr><td>EVENT</td><td>DATE</td></tr><tr><td>Contest Begins</td><td>February 26, 2024 at 3:00 PM PST</td></tr><tr><td>Submissions close</td><td>August 15, 2024 at 11:00 PM PDT</td></tr><tr><td>Winners announced by</td><td><div data-hypernova-key="ContestBriefPage" data-hypernova-id="e201336d-ef39-435b-a2dc-a0af0298ffbc" id="isPasted"><div data-reactroot=""><div data-hypernova-key="ContestBriefPage" data-hypernova-id="98dfc449-4aee-4f2c-8039-a0ec0e635839" id="isPasted"><div data-reactroot="">Sep 1, 2024</div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><h2>Get Started:</h2>Engage: Submit up to two solutions, one for each focus area. *For your submission to be eligible to receive prizes, you must fill out the survey found at hackster.io by&nbsp;May 1, 2024 at 10:00 AM PT.Collaborate: Benefit from tailored feedback from our Contest Masters.Innovate: Your solutions could win you amazing prizes and the chance to change lives.Everything you need to know, including information on the prizes, Contest Masters etc. can be found at the <a target="_blank" data-stringify-link="http://hackster.io" data-sk="tooltip_parent" href="https://wevlv.co/btg2-hack-lp" rel="noopener noreferrer" id="isPasted">hackster.io</a> page.<a href="https://wevlv.co/btg2-hack-lp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="button-main-action">Learn more</a> <h2>Sponsors of the Build2gether 2.0 Challenge</h2><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzA5Mjg5ODk5MDY2LXNwb25zb3JzdHJ1Y3R1cmVfVVFvcjFuQWlBTSAoMSkucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

Explore and address needs in assistive technology, creating meaningful solutions for individuals with disabilities. Win great prizes!

Build2gether 2.0 Inclusive Innovation Challenge

We’ve all heard of Large Language Models, or LLMs – massive scale deep learning models trained on huge amounts of text that form the basis for chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Next-generation Multimodal Models (MMs) can learn from inputs beyond text, including video, images, and sound.Creating MM models at a smaller scale poses significant challenges, including the problem of being robust to non-random missing information. This is information that a model doesn’t have, often due to some biased availability in resources. It is thus critical to ensure the model does not learn the patterns of biased missingness in making its predictions.<h2>MultiModN turns this around</h2>In response to this problem, researchers from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epfl.ch/labs/ml4ed/" target="_blank">Machine Learning for Education</a> (ML4ED) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epfl.ch/labs/mlo/" target="_blank">Machine Learning and Optimization</a> (MLO) Laboratories in<a href="https://www.epfl.ch/schools/ic/" target="_blank">&nbsp;EPFL’s School of Computer and Communication Sciences</a> have developed and tested the exact opposite to a Large Language Model.Spearheaded by Professor Mary-Anne Hartley, head of the Laboratory for<a href="https://www.epfl.ch/labs/mlo/igh-intelligent-global-health/" target="_blank">&nbsp;intelligent Global Health Technologies</a> hosted jointly in the MLO and the Yale School of Medicine and Professor Tanja Käser, head of ML4ED,&nbsp;MultiModN&nbsp;is a unique&nbsp;<a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.14118" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Modular Multimodal Model</a>, presented recently at the&nbsp;<a href="https://neurips.cc/Conferences/2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NeurIPS2023</a> conference.Like existing Multimodal Models&nbsp;MultiModN can learn from text, images, video, and sound. Unlike existing MMs, it is made up of any number of smaller, self-contained, and input-specific modules that can be selected depending on the information available, and then strung together in a sequence of any number, combination, or type of input. Itcan then output any number, or combination, of predictions.“We evaluated&nbsp;MultiModN across ten real-world tasks including medical diagnosis support, academic performance prediction, and weather forecasting. Through these experiments, we believe that&nbsp;MultiModN is the first inherently interpretable, MNAR-resistant approach to multimodal modelling,” explained Vinitra Swamy, a PhD student with ML4ED and MLO and joint first author on the project.<h3>A first use case: medical decision-making</h3>The first use case for&nbsp;MultiModN will be as a clinical decision support system for medical personnel in low-resource settings. In healthcare, clinical data is often missing, perhaps due to resource constraints (a patient can’t afford the test) or resource abundance (the test is redundant due to a superior one that was performed).&nbsp;MultiModN is able to learn from this real-world data without adopting its biases, as well as adapting predictions to any combination or number of inputs.“Missingness is a hallmark of data in low-resource settings and when models learn these patterns of missingness, they may encode bias into their predictions. The need for flexibility in the face of unpredictably available resources is what inspired&nbsp;MultiModN,” explained Hartley, who is also a medical doctor.<h3>From the lab to real life</h3>Publication, however, is just the first step towards implementation. Hartley has been working with colleagues at Lausanne University Hospital<a href="https://www.chuv.ch/fr/chuv-home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;(CHUV</a>) and Inselspital, University Hospital Bern&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insel.ch/fr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uBern</a> to conduct clinical studies focused on pneumonia and tuberculosis diagnosis in low resource settings and they are recruiting thousands of patients in South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia and Benin.The research teams undertook a large training initiative, teaching more than 100 doctors to systematically collect multimodal data including images and ultrasound video, so that&nbsp;MultiModN can be trained to be sensitive to real data coming from low resource regions.“We are collecting exactly the kind of complex multimodal data that&nbsp;MultiModN is designed to handle,” said Dr Noémie Boillat-Blanco, an infectious diseases doctor at CHUV. “We are excited to see a model that appreciates the complexity of missing resources in our settings and of systematic missingness of routine clinical assessments,” added Dr Kristina Keitel at Inselspital, University Hospital Bern.<h3>Machine learning for the public good</h3>The development and training of&nbsp;MultiModN is a continuation of EPFL efforts to adapt machine learning tools to reality and for the public good. It comes not long after the launch of<a href="https://actu.epfl.ch/news/epfl-s-new-large-language-model-for-medical-knowle/" target="_blank">&nbsp;Meditron</a>, the world’s best performing open source LLM also designed to help guide clinical decision-making.Both tools align with the mission of the new&nbsp;<a href="https://actu.epfl.ch/news/opening-of-the-new-epfl-ai-center-a-hub-for-ai-i-2/" target="_blank">EPFL AI Center</a> that focuses on how responsible and effective AI can advance technological innovation for the benefit of all sectors of society.Dr. Mary-Anne Hartley is a keynote speaker at the upcoming Applied Machine Learning Days (AMLD) at the SwissTech Convention Center March 23-26, 2024. Vinitra Swamy will be presenting MultiModN at AMLD’s Applied eXplainable AI track. Discover other keynotes<a href="https://2024.appliedmldays.org/media-9-speakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>&nbsp;and register<a href="https://2024.appliedmldays.org/media-12-registration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Machine Learning Neural Network © iStock

Researchers at EPFL have developed a new, uniquely modular machine learning model for flexible decision-making. It is able to input any mode of text, video, image, sound, and time-series and then output any number, or combination, of predictions. 

Anything-in-anything-out: a new modular AI model

In this episode, we discuss the shortcomings of previous attempts at making flexible wearable sensors and how researchers at CalTech have addressed them to create high performance stress sensor stickers.

Podcast: Stress Sensing Stickers

After a stroke, survivors often experience uncontrollable spasms that can twist their arms and hands into perpetual fists. The only treatments are expensive, frequently painful injections of botulinum toxin or oral medications so strong they may put patients to sleep. Both offer only temporary relief.Engineers at Stanford University and the Georgia Institute of Technology now say they have developed a glove-like wearable medical device that achieves as-good-or-better results as the injections or drugs by applying simple, high-frequency mechanical vibrations to the hands and fingers.“Vibration therapies are not unknown, so we knew we would see some effect, but clinically it was just amazing to see that these beneficial effects persist,” explained <a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/allison-okamura" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Allison Okamura</a>, Richard W. Weiland Professor are the Stanford School of Engineering and senior author of a series of studies introducing the glove.“There are significant improvements in symptoms using the simulation method. And we think it can potentially address several effects of stroke — numbness, spasticity, and, for some, limited range of motion,” said <a href="https://neuroscience.stanford.edu/people/caitlyn-seim" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Caitlyn Seim</a>, a post-doctoral researcher in Okamura’s lab and initiator of the project. “We're most excited about treating spasticity because it affects so many people's quality of life and has such limited treatment options.”<h2>Form factor</h2>To the researchers’ knowledge this is the first effort to explore vibrotactile stimulation (VTS) technique at a wearable scale. State-of-the-art methods employ whole-body vibration using machines that are large, expensive, and require visits to the clinic for treatment.Patients in trials wore the VTS device three hours a day for eight weeks. Results were compared to the effectiveness of injections and oral medications. When measured, more than half of participants who receive regular botulinum injections had equal or better results with daily use of the VTS glove.“I think we can safely say that VTS is at least as good as injections and oral medicines,” Okamura said. “And it was exciting to see there is some maintenance of the improvements over time, though more study of that is needed.”The prototype device was first developed by Seim and colleagues at Georgia Tech as a tool to help people learn motor tasks such as typing or playing musical instruments via haptic guidance. The device was later studied as an interactive music exercise tool for people with partial spinal cord injuries, which led the team to the realization that haptic stimulation may be therapeutic on its own. Their unique wearable form factor makes a new paradigm in intensive stimulation therapy possible, since users can wear the gloves throughout the day.“We started to wonder if stimulation might also be a therapeutic tool for brain and spinal injury. It was very exciting,” Seim said.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1707898661498-vibrating-glove-helps-1.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The VTS Glove on a patient’s hand. The team engineered and fabricated over 20 devices for this study in-house in Stanford labs. | Image courtesy of Andrew Brodhead<h2 id="isPasted">Notable results</h2>The latest version of the VTS device wraps around the wrist, palm, and fingers and includes motors that provide continual high-frequency stimulation to individual fingers as well as muscles in the hand and wrist. The vibrations are subtle and unobtrusive — similar to the intensity of a cell phone vibrating. Patients are free to go about their normal activities while wearing the device.Neurologically, the mechanisms underlying the symptom improvements are still being studied, but the team theorizes that the device is taking advantage of the brain’s remarkable plasticity — its ability to find new pathways in response to damage or dysfunction. They believe that the VTS vibrations can modulate out-of-control muscles and send neural signals from the muscles back to the brain where the signals re-train undamaged areas of the brain. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; .“The brain is essentially relearning the ability to perceive touch and proprioception,” Seim said of the brain’s ability to feel and understand where and how the arm, hands, and fingers are positioned in three-dimensional space.In candid video testimonials, patients speak in glowing terms of their preference for VTS over injections and medication. Those same patients also say that the VTS glove is “pleasant” or at least “comfortable” to wear. VTS is non-invasive, inexpensive, and avoids the side effects of injections and muscle relaxants. Most promising of all, Seim notes that many patients in the trials reported they voluntarily reduced their use of oral medications and some even planned to forego quarterly botulinum injections in favor of the VTS glove &nbsp; &nbsp; .“This is the magic glove, it’s better than [botulinum],” said one patient after just two weeks using VTS. “My fingers and wrist are more relaxed. Before it was very difficult to straighten my fingers and now it’s a lot easier.”“I stopped my morning dose of [muscle relaxer] and now I want to stop taking my night dose because the glove is working and I don’t need it,” noted another patient after a similar two-week period.The hope may be shared as both researchers say they believe VTS might also prove effective in other brain injury-related motor conditions and diseases — areas the team is already pursuing as they explore stroke effectiveness.“There are currently 100 million people worldwide living with stroke,” Seim said. “As many as one third experience these paralyzing arm spasms. We targeted the largest-possible population first, but certainly other conditions are on our radar.”As of now, the VTS device is available only to patients in the clinical trial, and Okamura and Seim are gearing up for the next phases that will include additional clinical studies to understand the device’s long-term effectiveness and optimal design.To that end, the team recently received a considerable grant from the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator program to further develop the vibrotactile glove as a commercial product.“We think we have enough clinical study under our belt to know that VTS is a very safe, effective treatment,” Okamura said. “We'd love to start getting it out there as a publicly available therapy.”Okamura is also a member of&nbsp;<a href="http://biox.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Stanford Bio-X</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://humanperformance.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance</a>, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://neuroinstitute.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute</a>, and a faculty affiliate of the&nbsp;<a href="https://hai.stanford.edu/" data-extlink="" target="_blank">Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)</a>.

Postdoctoral researcher Caitlyn Seim takes measurements with a participant in the clinical trial. | Image courtesy of Andrew Brodhead

For those with stroke, involuntary contractions of the hands and arms often follow. A simple, wearable vibrating glove may offer a more effective treatment.

Vibrating glove helps stroke patients recover from muscle spasms

This article was discussed in our <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/1e9bb08c-384a-4d12-983e-8af2e63c741b?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> The full article will continue below.<hr>MIT engineers have developed a small ultrasound sticker that can monitor the stiffness of organs deep inside the body. The sticker, about the size of a postage stamp, can be worn on the skin and is designed to pick up on signs of disease, such as liver and kidney failure and the progression of solid tumors.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzA3NzI0MzU5MjkzLU1JVC1TZWVpbmdTdGlmZm5lc3MtMDEtcHJlc3NfMC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">A small ultrasound sticker, worn on the skin, can monitor the stiffness of organs deep inside the body. The MIT-developed sensor could detect signs of disease such as liver and kidney failure, and the progression of solid tumors. Image: Courtesy of the researchersIn an <a href="https://science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk8426" target="_blank">open-access study appearing today</a> in Science Advances, the team reports that the sensor can send sound waves through the skin and into the body, where the waves reflect off internal organs and back out to the sticker. The pattern of the reflected waves can be read as a signature of organ rigidity, which the sticker can measure and track.“When some organs undergo disease, they can stiffen over time,” says the senior author of the paper, Xuanhe Zhao, professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “With this wearable sticker, we can continuously monitor changes in rigidity over long periods of time, which is crucially important for early diagnosis of internal organ failure.”The team has demonstrated that the sticker can continuously monitor the stiffness of organs over 48 hours and detect subtle changes that could signal the progression of disease. In preliminary experiments, the researchers found that the sticky sensor can detect early signs of acute liver failure in rats.The engineers are working to adapt the design for use in humans. They envision that the sticker could be used in intensive care units (ICUs), where the low-profile sensors could continuously monitor patients who are recovering from organ transplants.“We imagine that, just after a liver or kidney transplant, we could adhere this sticker to a patient and observe how the rigidity of the organ changes over days,” lead author Hsiao-Chuan Liu says. “If there is any early diagnosis of acute liver failure, doctors can immediately take action instead of waiting until the condition becomes severe.” Liu was a visiting scientist at MIT at the time of the study and is currently an assistant professor at the University of Southern California.The study’s MIT co-authors include Xiaoyu Chen and Chonghe Wang, along with collaborators at USC.Sensing wobblesLike our muscles, the tissues and organs in our body stiffen as we age. With certain diseases, stiffening organs can become more pronounced, signaling a potentially precipitous health decline. Clinicians currently have ways to measure the stiffness of organs such as the kidneys and liver using ultrasound elastography — a technique similar to ultrasound imaging, in which a technician manipulates a handheld probe or wand over the skin. The probe sends sound waves through the body, which cause internal organs to vibrate slightly and send waves out in return. The probe senses an organ’s induced vibrations, and the pattern of the vibrations can be translated into how wobbly or stiff the organ must be.Ultrasound elastography is typically used in the ICU to monitor patients who have recently undergone an organ transplant. Technicians periodically check in on a patient shortly after surgery to quickly probe the new organ and look for signs of stiffening and potential acute failure or rejection.“After organ transplantation, the first 72 hours is most crucial in the ICU,” says another senior author, Qifa Zhou, a professor at USC. “With traditional ultrasound, you need to hold a probe to the body. But you can’t do this continuously over the long term. Doctors might miss a crucial moment and realize too late that the organ is failing.”The team realized that they might be able to provide a more continuous, wearable alternative. Their solution expands on an <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2022/ultrasound-stickers-0728" target="_blank">ultrasound sticker</a> they previously developed to image deep tissues and organs.“Our imaging sticker picked up on longitudinal waves, whereas this time we wanted to pick up shear waves, which will tell you the rigidity of the organ,” Zhao explains.Existing ultrasound elastrography probes measure shear waves, or an organ’s vibration in response to sonic impulses. The faster a shear wave travels in the organ, the stiffer the organ is interpreted to be. (Think of the bounce-back of a water balloon compared to a soccer ball.)The team looked to miniaturize ultrasound elastography to fit on a stamp-sized sticker. They also aimed to retain the same sensitivity of commercial hand-held probes, which typically incorporate about 128 piezoelectric transducers, each of which transforms an incoming electric field into outgoing sound waves.“We used advanced fabrication techniques to cut small transducers from high-quality piezoelectric materials that allowed us to design miniaturized ultrasound stickers,” Zhou says.The researchers precisely fabricated 128 miniature transducers that they incorporated onto a 25-millimeter-square chip. They lined the chip’s underside with an adhesive made from hydrogel — a sticky and stretchy material that is a mixture of water and polymer, which allows sound waves to travel into and out of the device almost without loss.In preliminary experiments, the team tested the stiffness-sensing sticker in rats. They found that the stickers were able to take continuous measurements of liver stiffness over 48 hours. From the sticker’s collected data, the researchers observed clear and early signs of acute liver failure, which they later confirmed with tissue samples.“Once liver goes into failure, the organ will increase in rigidity by multiple times,” Liu notes.“You can go from a healthy liver as wobbly as a soft-boiled egg, to a diseased liver that is more like a hard-boiled egg,” Zhao adds. “And this sticker can pick up on those differences deep inside the body and provide an alert when organ failure occurs.”The team is working with clinicians to adapt the sticker for use in patients recovering from organ transplants in the ICU. In that scenario, they don’t anticipate much change to the sticker’s current design, as it can be stuck to a patient’s skin, and any sound waves that it sends and receives can be delivered and collected by electronics that connect to the sticker, similar to electrodes and EKG machines in a doctor’s office.“The real beauty of this system is that since it is now wearable, it would allow low-weight, conformable, and sustained monitoring over time,” says Shrike Zhang,&nbsp;an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate bioengineer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who was not involved with the study. “This would likely not only allow patients to suffer less while achieving prolonged, almost real-time monitoring of their disease progression, but also free trained hospital personnel to other important tasks.”The researchers are also hoping to work the sticker into a more portable, self-enclosed version, where all its accompanying electronics and processing is miniaturized to fit into a slightly larger patch. Then, they envision that the sticker could be worn by patients at home, to continuously monitor conditions over longer periods, such as the progression of solid tumors, which are known to harden with severity.“We believe this is a life-saving technology platform,” Zhao says. “In the future, we think that people can adhere a few stickers to their body to measure many vital signals, and image and track the health of major organs in the body.”

“We used advanced fabrication techniques to cut small transducers from high-quality piezoelectric materials that allowed us to design miniaturized ultrasound stickers,” Xuanhe Zhao, professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, says. Image: Courtesy of the researchers

The sticky, wearable sensor could help identify early signs of acute liver failure.

This ultrasound sticker senses changing stiffness of deep internal organs

As the IoT matures, analysts forecast that NB-IoT and LTE-M&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Wireless/Low-power-cellular-IoT" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cellular IoT</a>) are likely to become the dominant technologies for connecting local area networks (LANs) or standalone wireless devices over kilometer distances to the Cloud. The process is already well underway and forms a lucrative market into which IoT connectivity vendors are keen to tap.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>LPWAN&nbsp;IoT&nbsp;connections set to&nbsp;boom&nbsp;</h2>Low power wide area networks (LPWANs) are a critical part of the IoT’s infrastructure and as such are set to grow rapidly. According to global intelligence firm, ABI Research, LPWAN connections will reach 5.3 billion in 2030, with smart metering, asset tracking, and condition-based monitoring cited amongst key IoT applications.&nbsp;&nbsp;Statista forecasts LPWAN IoT connections will outnumber any other IoT connectivity technology by 2030. And a recent study by Allied Market Research projects the global LPWAN market—valued at $8.2 billion in 2022—will reach a staggering $582 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 53.4 percent over the forecast period (2023-to-2032).&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Bridging the gap&nbsp;between&nbsp;IoT end-devices and the Cloud&nbsp;</h2>But as rapidly as the LPWAN market is growing, it remains fragmented. However, cellular IoT is gaining traction as the dominant ‘bridge’ between remote IoT end-devices and the Cloud. As alternative non-cellular connectivity technologies like LoRaWAN and Sigfox face technical and commercial pressures, cellular IoT is establishing itself as the LPWAN leader.&nbsp;&nbsp;For example, according to Mordor Intelligence’s&nbsp;Cellular IoT Market Size &amp; Share Analysis – Growth Trends &amp; Forecasts (2023–2028)&nbsp;report, the cellular IoT market size is expected to grow from $5.02 billion in 2023 to $14.26 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 23.21 percent during the five-year forecast period. This global market growth will be driven by the rise in digitalization and automation across industries such as manufacturing, automotive, and energy and utilities, claims the analyst.&nbsp;<h2>Key advantages for massive IoT&nbsp;</h2>Cellular IoT growth comes from the key advantages it offers for massive IoT; chief among these advantages is its Internet Protocol (IP) interoperability which enables a bidirectional link between end-devices and the Cloud without the need for expensive and complex routers or gateways. Further advantages include future proofing, scalability, security, and high quality of service (QoS).&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>NB-IoT&nbsp;for static&nbsp;applications&nbsp;and LTE-M&nbsp;for mobile applications&nbsp;</h2>NB-IoT and LTE-M&nbsp;are the two underlying technologies supporting cellular IoT. NB-IoT is suited to static applications. Examples include smart meters and smart streetlights. LTE-M is suited to devices that can change locations, such as asset trackers or wearables.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Flexibility and support for massive IoT&nbsp;</h2>Industry experts suggest the positive trends for NB-IoT and LTE-M can largely be attributed to flexibility and support for massive IoT that cellular IoT’s competitors struggle to match.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cellular IoT uses existing cellular base stations (with software upgrades) to connect massive IoT devices to the Cloud. The LPWAN technology can connect over kilometers, supports a high density of IoT devices, doesn’t require much battery power, and offers high security. &nbsp;&nbsp;Cellular IoT base stations can each support up to 50,000 cellular IoT connections. The communications are fully bidirectional, and the technology is an integral part of the 5G specifications.&nbsp;Standardization for 5G is carried out by several international organizations, primarily the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).&nbsp;Based on the support of these mature global standards bodies, powerful mobile network operators (MNO)—such as Vodafone, Orange, Telenor, and Telefonica—and a solid vendor ecosystem including Nordic Semiconductor, cellular IoT is beginning to justify the hype, not to mention the considerable investment.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Cellular IoT takes the largest market&nbsp;share&nbsp;</h2>The technical and commercial advantages of cellular IoT are driving the technology towards a dominant share of the LPWAN market. According to IoT Analytics, NB-IoT (47 percent) and LTE-M (10 percent) already made-up 57 percent of the global LPWAN installed base in 2022, compared to 43 percent for the combined competition.&nbsp;&nbsp;In its&nbsp;LPWAN Market Report – 2022, Omdia predicted LPWAN connections will grow at a CAGR of 23 percent in the five-year period to 2028, driven predominantly by growth in NB-IoT and LoRaWAN technologies. The analyst forecasts NB-IoT and LoRaWAN will account for 87 percent of all LPWAN connections in 2028, up from 85 percent in 2023.&nbsp;The company expects there will be almost 1.6 billion NB-IoT LWPAN connections in 2028 with a further 300 million LTE-M connections – around 800 million more connections than the closest competitor, LoRaWAN, and dwarfing the number of connections for Sigfox and other technologies.&nbsp;<h2>Boosting productivity and saving cost&nbsp;</h2>Cellular IoT connectivity has already played&nbsp;a major role&nbsp;in enhancing productivity, streamlining operations, minimizing downtime, automating processes, and generating cost savings across various industries&nbsp;– for example,&nbsp;utilities, agriculture, industrial, retail,&nbsp;and healthcare. And having&nbsp;already&nbsp;taken the lead&nbsp;in&nbsp;the LPWAN&nbsp;sector, the technology is on track to&nbsp;command&nbsp;a critical role in the future of the IoT.&nbsp;

As the IoT matures, analysts forecast that NB-IoT and LTE-M (cellular IoT) are likely to become the dominant technologies for connecting local area networks (LANs) or standalone wireless devices over kilometer distances to the Cloud. 

Cellular IoT dominates LPWANs

In this episode, we talk about a new AI designed catheter that is 100x safer than and how it came to be after a passive conversation about fun facts between two researchers.

Podcast: AI Makes Catheters 100 Times Safer

Medical technology has been a fascination of mine ever since I was introduced to engineering. I’ve been around medical equipment since I was three years old due to a heart condition, and I used to go into those huge MRI machines not knowing anything about what this technology did. Turns out that it’s a pretty important tool that doctors use to get images inside the body. Not even ten years after the first MRI was taken, the first robotic system was used for a biopsy, thus beginning the history of robotic technology used in medical applications.<h2 dir="ltr">Robotics&nbsp;</h2>The use of surgical robotics wasn’t approved in the US until 1997, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed use of the technology for visualization and extraction purposes—only a fraction of its capabilities. Today, robotics help doctors perform minimally invasive surgeries, which allow patients to recover more quickly with less scarring and reduced risk of infection.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1706616150236-51973348978_5ea53c8bec_k.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Nicolas DUPREY/ CD 78 on FlickrThe goal of using robots in surgical applications is complete autonomy. However, this quickly shifted to robotic systems that are controlled by the surgeon. The da Vinci system was the first FDA-approved controllable system used for medical robotics in North America. This system set the surgical robot standard and continues to grow to more than 6,000 units and 8.5 million operations worldwide1. For minimally invasive surgeries, the da Vinci system allows the surgeon to make precise incisions efficiently, effectively, and with fewer risks of error. The da Vinci system also eliminated the need for an assistant in the operating room, as engineers added a third arm equipped with the tools necessary to complete the procedure.Besides surgical robots, healthcare facilities have also implemented robotic systems such as exoskeletons and delivery robots to help both patients and doctors in their respective activities. Exoskeletons help rehabilitate patients with mobility issues primarily below the waist. Exoskeletons utilize sensors to detect small electrical signals and respond with movement2. At this time, mobile delivery robots have limited uses but currently assist in transporting medication to patients, reminding the patient to take their medicine, and delivering samples to and from the lab.<h2 dir="ltr">Nano-robots</h2>Nanorobotics is the next step in creating life-changing technology for the medical industry. These microscopic robots will be able to travel and think autonomously to find and fix health issues in the body. These tiny bots can be the size of a human hair and will be able to connect and form any shape necessary for treatment. In terms of the sensors used in these nanorobots, you might say that teamwork makes the dream work, as researchers continue to use biological reactions to target and determine what job needs to be accomplished.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzA2NjE1OTQ0NDQ3LWxvdWlzLXJlZWQtcHdjS0Y3TDQtbm8tdW5zcGxhc2guanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 768px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Photo by Louis Reed on UnsplashWe aren’t quite at the level of Tony Stark’s nanotechnology, but we are closer than ever. Though the nanorobots won’t be able to generate a full body exoskeleton in seconds, nanorobots will have the ability to find and treat damaged cells anywhere in the body. Ideally, this technology will be used for cancer treatment, as there are very few treatment options currently available. However, these microscopic bots will have many more use cases than just medicine. They could be used as research vessels, allowing engineers and scientists to build or discover microscopic properties that were previously unknown to us. Hopefully, this leads us to a real-life nanotech Ironman suit. That would be awesome.We're not quite there yet, but the following product could be an essential step forward. This week’s New Tech Tuesday features the CUI Devices AMT13A Modular Incremental Encoder Kits.The AMT13A series is an industrial-grade encoder with endless industrial use-cases including robotics. Encoders are used to sense motion and determine the position of a shaft using an LED and recording the interruption of light while in use. Having accurate positioning of motors and avoiding unwanted movement of the robot itself is vital to the success of a robot, especially those used for surgical applications. Featuring a rugged design and compact package, the AMT13A series encoder offers high accuracy at 4096 pulses per revolution (PPR) and a low current draw. The modular incremental encoder kit contains various sizes of shaft adapters and a pre-installed alignment tool to get any project fitted with an encoder.<h2 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h2>Medtech is an important and developing industry and robots are increasingly playing a key role in lifesaving procedures. Robotics used in medical applications have been around for over 20 years and the benefits have been nothing short of amazing. Engineers are pioneering the new wave of medicine with the use of robotics in a way we have only seen in movies. Today’s surgical robots provide extreme accuracy and efficiency that has transformed the patient’s experience with smaller incisions, less recovery time, and lower risk of infection. Artificial nanorobots are the next step in the evolution of medical robotics. With the implementation of nanorobots, several medical treatments will become minimally invasive and hopefully be able to cure previously untreatable diseases.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Nanorobotics is the next step in creating life-changing technology for the medical industry. These microscopic robots will be able to travel and think autonomously to find and fix health issues in the body.