Imagine being able to measure your blood sugar levels, know if you've had too much to drink, and track your muscle fatigue during a workout, all in one small device worn on your skin. Engineers have developed a prototype of such a wearable that can continuously monitor several health stats—glucose, alcohol, and lactate levels—simultaneously in real-time.

Smartwatches have soared in popularity in recent years, with their motion and heart rate sensors tracking the activity of millions worldwide. However, not all activity can be monitored using step counts - limiting the appeal of existing wearable technology to many gym-goers and amateur athletes.

Engineers have developed a glucose power source that could fuel miniature implants and sensors. The device is smaller than other proposed glucose fuel cells, measuring just 400 nanometers thick, or about 1/100 the diameter of a human hair. The sugary power source generates about 43 microwatts per square centimeter of electricity, achieving the highest power density of any glucose fuel cell to date under ambient conditions.

Many of our daily activities involve our hands' prehensile abilities. While able-bodied people don't think twice when using a spoon or lifting a glass, these actions are nearly impossible for someone unable to grasp things with their fingers. Emovo Care has now come up with a device that is specifically designed to overcome these obstacles.

Engineers have invented a silk-based material that when placed under the skin that glows brighter or dimmer under a lamp when exposed to different levels of oxygen in the blood. The novel sensor, which currently is limited to reading oxygen levels, is made up of a gel formed from the protein components of silk, called fibroin. The silk fibroin proteins have unique properties that make them especially compatible as an implantable material.

BeBop Sensors Inc announced the BeBop Sensors RoboSkin line of skin-like coverings for tactile awareness for humanoid robots and prosthetics. A true nervous system for robots at less than 1mm thick, RoboSkin is the only technology that fits all robotic body parts: limbs, fingers, feet, head, and torso, to make robots "feel" better.

Strategic Elements Ltd reports that nanoionic materials engineering by research partner The University of New South Wales has created an improvement in the ability to convert moisture in the air to electrical energy.

A research team will develop an artificial intelligence tool, Medical Assistance, Guidance, Instruction and Correction, or MAGIC, to assist combat field medics in 50 medical skills applied during common procedures.

Plants can't speak up when they are thirsty. And visual signs, such as shriveling or browning leaves, don't start until most of their water is gone. To detect water loss earlier, researchers have created a wearable sensor for plant leaves. The system wirelessly transmits data to a smartphone app, allowing for remote management of drought stress in gardens and crops.

This premium article delves into the Laval Virtual Europe 2022 event, held from 12th-14th April 2022, in particular looking at AR/MR/VR software and solutions. It will cover key companies from the event, including Qualcomm, Avatar Medical, Advanced Realtime Tracking, X Sens, and more.

This premium article delves into the Laval Virtual Europe 2022 event, held from 12th-14th April 2022, in particular looking at AR, MR, and VR hardware, players, and trends. It will cover key companies from the event, including Lynx Reality, Lenovo, Microsoft, Ultraleap, and Actronika.

Researchers are working to enhance the current gas-pressurized suits to make them more accommodating for astronauts exploring planetary surfaces.

In the quest to build smart skin that mimics the sensing capabilities of natural skin, ionic skins have shown significant advantages. They're made of flexible, biocompatible hydrogels that use ions to carry an electrical charge. In contrast to smart skins made of plastics and metals, the hydrogels have the softness of natural skin. This offers a more natural feel to the prosthetic arm or robot hand they are mounted on, and makes them comfortable to wear.

Lips are famously sensual but, together with the gums and tongue, they are also surprisingly sensitive, second only to the fingertips in nerve density. Researchers have exploited this latter characteristic to devise a practical new way for people to receive tactile feedback in virtual worlds.

Researchers have taken a major step forward in the development of sensitive electronic skin with integrated artificial hairs. E-skins are flexible electronic systems that try to mimic the sensitivity of their natural human skin counterparts. Applications range from skin replacement and medical sensors on the body to artificial skin for humanoid robots and androids.

Semiconducting nanomaterials with 3D network structures have high surface areas and lots of pores that make them excellent for applications involving adsorbing, separating, and sensing. However, simultaneously controlling the electrical properties and creating useful micro- and macro-scale structures, while achieving excellent functionality and end-use versatility, remains challenging.

Existing therapies for healing wounds include dressings, negative pressure bandages, growth factor-based and anti-inflammatory drugs, debridement, and ultrasound treatments. But even under the best conditions, the average time for complete wound closure is 12 weeks using these methods.

New solar cell devices that are cheaper and easier to make could soon make their way to market thanks to materials. Traditional solar cells are made from silicon, which has good efficiency and stability, but is relatively expensive to make and can only be manufactured in stiff panels. Perovskite solar cells offer an intriguing alternative; they can be printed from inks, making them low cost, high efficiency, thin, lightweight and flexible.

An estimated 15 million babies are born prematurely every year, posing a significant risk to both maternal and neonatal health. The EU funded WISH project promotes a novel tool for monitoring the risk of preterm labour at home.