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TR35: Stéphanie Lacour, 30 Bioengineers who hope to help paralyzed patients by melding electronics with nerve or brain tissue face a materials challenge: living tissue and microelectronics could hardly be more different. Most tissues are supple, while the semiconductors and metals used in electronics are brittle and stiff. As a result, the implanted electronics can irritate and damage surrounding tissue. It is precisely this material difference that Stéphanie Lacour is trying to bridge. As a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University, Lacour fabricated thin gold strips on elastic rubber substrates that could be stretched like a rubber band without losing electrical conductivity. 11 cheap gifts guaranteed to impress science geeks Science comes up with a lot of awesome stuff, and you don't need a Ph.D, a secret lab, or government funding to get your hands on some of the coolest discoveries. We've got a list of 11 mostly affordable gifts that are guaranteed to blow your mind, whether or not you're a science geek. Click on any image to see it enlarged.
Smart skin: Electronics that stick and stretch like a temporary tattoo 8/11/2011 | Liz Ahlberg, Physical Sciences Editor | 217-244-1073; eahlberg@illinois.edu CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Engineers have developed a device platform that combines electronic components for sensing, medical diagnostics, communications and human-machine interfaces, all on an ultrathin skin-like patch that mounts directly onto the skin with the ease, flexibility and comfort of a temporary tattoo. The circuits’ filamentary serpentine shape allows them to bend, twist, scrunch and stretch while maintaining functionality. | Photo courtesy John Rogers Led by John A. Rogers, the Lee J. Flory-Founder professor of engineering at the University of Illinois, the researchers described their novel skin-mounted electronics in the Aug. 12 issue of the journal Science.
Clearing the Way for Cheap, Flexible Solar Panels For years solar companies have wanted to make lightweight, flexible panels that are cheap to ship and easy to install (by unrolling them over large areas). But they’ve been held up by a lack of good and affordable glass substitutes. Now 3M thinks it’s found a solution. This week the company unveiled a plastic film that it says can rival glass in its ability to protect the active materials in solar cells from the elements and save money for manufacturers and their customers. The protective film is a multilayer, fluoropolymer-based sheet that can replace glass as the protective front cover of solar panels, says Derek DeScioli, business development manager for 3M’s renewable energy division.
Researchers build transparent, super-stretchy skin-like sensor Imagine having skin so supple you could stretch it out to more than twice its normal length in any direction -- repeatedly -- yet it would always snap back completely wrinkle-free when you let go of it. You would certainly never need Botox. That enviable elasticity is one of several new features built into a new transparent skin-like pressure sensor that is the latest sensor developed by Stanford's Zhenan Bao, associate professor of chemical engineering, in her quest to create an artificial "super skin." The sensor uses a transparent film of single-walled carbon nanotubes that act as tiny springs, enabling the sensor to accurately measure the force on it, whether it's being pulled like taffy or squeezed like a sponge. "This sensor can register pressure ranging from a firm pinch between your thumb and forefinger to twice the pressure exerted by an elephant standing on one foot," said Darren Lipomi, a postdoctoral researcher in Bao's lab, who is part of the research team. The U.S.
Optimus 3D Gingerbread update coming, world shrugs, stares wistfully at Ice Cream Sandwich Latest Upgrade Empowers Users with Powerful 3D and Multimedia Options SEOUL, Nov. 15, 2011 – The enhanced Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgrade developed for LG Optimus 3D will include new and improved features such as enhanced network speed, better 3D experience and improved multimedia functions. LG's customized Gingerbread upgrade for Optimus 3D will not only include improvements from Google such as enhanced power management, advanced copy/paste and user interface (UI) improvements, but also enhancements from LG, such as:
Insert Coin: SeeMeCNC H-1 cuts entry price to the world of 3D printing In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Maybe it was the Turtle Shell racers, or the ability to crowdsource homes for crabs, but we're enthralled with the potential of 3D printers. Now, SeeMeCNC is looking to offer up its skeletal H-1 as "the most affordable" entry-level three-dimensional printer available. Its design roots come from the open source RepRap's latest self-replicating machine, the Huxley. Silk Woven into Bio-Chip of the Future in Share Interest in silk has been growing within the biomedical engineering community in recent years, thanks to the remarkable properties of silk proteins and fibers. Silk is strong and durable, can be engineered to be non-immunogenic, and is completely resorbable. We have covered several novel applications of silk in medicine previously, including neural electrode interfaces , nerve repair , bioelectronics , and tissue scaffoling . Most recently, silk has been incorporated into biosensors. Peter Domachuk, a physicist at the University of Sydney, conceived of using silk as a biosensor component while working with Fiorenzo Omenetto and David Kaplan at Tufts University in Boston.
Harnessing the Power of Data: Todd Park’s Vision for Rebooting U.S. Healthcare 0inShare The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hasn’t traditionally been thought of as a bold, risk-taking agency. HHS Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Todd Park has been working hard to change that. Park, who co-founded healthcare technology firm Athenahealth and later Castlight Health, was offered his current position two years ago. HHS asked Park to come work for them as an entrepreneur in residence.
Square Updates Mobile Payments App For Merchants With Loyalty Features, Printed Receipts And More After hitting $11 million in mobile payments volume per day, Square is announcing more news—an update to the startup’s flagship iOS and Android payments apps. As you may know, Square Card Reader and companion app transforms any iPad, iPhone or Android phone into a full point of sale system. One of the major additions to version 2.2 of the app relates to customer loyalty. Now merchants can reward their regular customers with a new in-app loyalty feature that allows merchants to recognize their most frequent customers when they enter their store. The new feature also allows merchants to offer repeat customers discounts, which the customer will see reflected in their Square Card Case.