Collaborate Disseminate
Although we’ve already heard how electrical stimulation can help speed the healing of wounds, electrical devices themselves often can’t be implanted in soft tissue. That could soon change, though, thanks to the development of a new “piezoelectric wafer… Continue reading Internal-wound-healing wafer is powered by patients’ muscles
Although there are implants that gradually release medication at specific sites within the body, it can be difficult to control their rate of release. An experimental new device, however, dispenses drugs when externally activated by a shockwave.Continu… Continue reading Implant precisely dispenses drugs when triggered by a shockwave
There are untold energy sources all around us, if we can just figure out how to tap into them. Swiss researchers have now demonstrated an environmentally friendly way to make spongy wood flooring that can generate electricity with every step.Continue R… Continue reading Spongy wood nanogenerators make for energy-harvesting smart floors
Piezo elements have the useful property of being bidirectional; that is they can move when you apply electricity to them, but they can also generate electricity when you move them. [Carl] takes advantage of this fact to make buttons that …read more
We’ve already heard about implantable materials with a scaffolding-like microstructure, that help heal broken bones by giving bone cells a place to migrate into. A new one could work even better, though, by also providing electrical stimulation.Continu… Continue reading Electrified scaffolding could one day heal broken bones
We’ve already heard about implantable materials with a scaffolding-like microstructure, that help heal broken bones by giving bone cells a place to migrate into. A new one could work even better, though, by also providing electrical stimulation.Continu… Continue reading Electrified scaffolding could one day heal broken bones
Kendo, a Japanese martial art, is practiced with a special sword. It’s not a particularly sharp sword, though, since the “blade” is essentially a length of bamboo. For this reason, Kendo practitioners must rely on correct form and technique in order to make sure their practice is as effective as …read more
For continuously gathering information on ocean conditions, one thing that’s been proposed is a network of sensors that would transmit data from the sea floor. Changing their batteries, however, could be quite challenging. That’s where a new … Continue reading Undersea sensor is powered by sound waves from the surface
Not only do cockroaches give many people the creeps, but often when you step on one of the critters, it just keeps on scurrying. Such resilience would be a good feature for mini-robots designed to scout disaster sites – among other applicatio… Continue reading Cockroach-inspired robot survives being stepped on
If you want to talk about antennas, the amateur radio community has you covered, with one glaring exception. Very low frequency and Extremely Low Frequency radio isn’t practiced very much, ultimately because it’s impractical and you simply can’t transmit much information when your carrier frequency is measured in tens of …read more
Continue reading Piezoelectric Antennas For Very, Very Low Frequencies