Industries
Magnetic fields can control bacteria
Queen’s University researchers are using magnetic fields to influence a specific type of bacteria to swim against strong currents, opening up the potential of using the microscopic organisms for drug delivery in environments with complex microflows – like the human bloodstream.
Advancing accuracy over 20 years
The Galileo global navigation satellite system is raining down its signals across the globe, two decades since it was first conceived. One of the few European‑based manufacturers of GNSS receiver chips, u-blox, also twenty years old this year, has been closely keeping pace with Galileo’s development through their joint history.
Brain stimulation system receives FDA Approval
Boston Scientific has announced that it has received approval from the US FDA for the Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) System. DBS is used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), a degenerative condition that affects more than one million people in the United States and ten million worldwide. DBS works by stimulating a targeted region of the brain through implanted leads that are powered by a device called an implantable pulse...
May the Force be with you
Luke Skywalker’s bionic hand is a step closer to reality for amputees in this galaxy. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created an ultrasonic sensor that allows amputees to control each of their prosthetic fingers individually. It provides fine motor hand gestures that aren’t possible with current commercially available devices. The first amputee to use it, a musician who lost part of his right arm five year...
3D-printed implants could improve hearing loss treatments
Researchers using CT scans and 3D printing have created accurate, custom-designed prosthetic replacements for damaged parts of the middle ear, according to a study being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The technique has the potential to improve a surgical procedure that often fails because of incorrectly sized prosthetic implants, researchers said.
The question is: reflex over reaction?
Over the last two years, Fraunhofer IIS/EAS and the semiconductor manufacturer GLOBALFOUNDRIES have worked together in the project 'MARS' to advance the development of highly reliable 22nm FDSOI components. These components should pave the way for 'tactile intelligent systems' made in Dresden. Areas such as autonomous driving and applications in intelligent production will benefit enormously from such wirelessly networked systems capable of commu...
Needle-free drug injector gets commercialisation agreement
Certain treatments for patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, require multiple intravenous or subcutaneous injections of specific drugs. Because of the pain and anxiety associated with needles, some patients stop adhering to treatments. MIT spinout Portal Instruments has now landed a commercialisation deal for a smart, needle-free injection device that could reduce the pain and anxiety associated with ...
Mars mission investigates habitability of distant planets
How long might a rocky, Mars-like planet be habitable if it were orbiting a red dwarf star? It's a complex question but one that NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission can help answer. "The MAVEN mission tells us that Mars lost substantial amounts of its atmosphere over time, changing the planet's habitability," said David Brain, a MAVEN co-investigator and a professor at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the...
Observations from the International Robot Exhibition (IREX)
With over 300 exhibitors spread across two halls, the International Robot Exhibition (IREX) is the largest robot trade show in the world. Held at the Tokyo Big Sight in Japan, the biennial event welcomes robot manufacturers from around the globe to introduce the latest robotic technology. Here, Nigel Smith, managing director at Toshiba Machine partner, TM Robotics explains how IREX’s popularity has grown and how the themes at the 2017 show ...
Will drones be the new face of farming?
Can drones save farmers millions of dollars in just a few minutes? From potatoes to corn, farmers have to manually map hundreds of acres of land if they want any information about their crops. But even then, one bad rainstorm could send 70 hours of work down the drain (and that’s for a small field). But could technology change everything?