Collaboration between Swedish engineer Andreas Hammar with researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and the water purification company HVR resulted in development of the first machine that extracts people’s sweat from clothes, purifies it and transforms it into potable water. It uses a water purification technology called membrane distillation. The inspiration for… »

Researchers at the University of Arizona (UA) have discovered that ultrasound vibrations applied to specific areas of the brain may affect patients’ moods. This finding could lead to new treatments for various psychological and psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. It could pave the way for a broad range of new applications of ultrasound… »

Collaboration between researchers at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) resulted in the development of stem cells that can be directed by magnetic fields. Stem cells could soon be intravenous injected into the patient to treat heart diseases and vascular problems. By loading stem cells with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs), scientists… »

A Japanese startup called Spiber Inc. has created an artificial spider silk using synthesized genes which persuade bacteria to produce fibroin, a structural protein found in spider silk. Researchers have developed technologies to cultivate these bacteria efficiently and weave the fibroin into fabric. The protein derived from fibroin has been given the name “QMONOS” (from… »

Hydrogels are gelatinous substances with several biomedical applications, including cartilage repair, implants for minimally invasive surgery and drug delivery. Most hydrogels are weak, brittle, and of low mechanical strength. They also exhibit limited extensibility, recoverability, and poor toughness. On the other hand, double-network hydrogels exhibit high mechanical strength, excellent recoverable properties, and a unique, free-shapeable… »

Student team at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) presented the world’s first solar-powered family car. This is the first ‘energy-positive car’ with room for four people, a trunk, intuitive steering, and a range of 600 kilometers (372 miles). Named ‘Stella’ after the Latin word for “star”, the car is user friendly and comfortable, and… »

Researchers at the University of East Anglia’s School of Biological Sciences are currently developing a new class of anti-cancer drugs that have powerful activity against drug resistant cancer cells. These anti-cancer drugs circumvent a primary cause of resistance to chemotherapy. The study is inspired by leaf cutter ants that belong to the tribe of the… »

Researchers at the Jacobs School of Engineering and the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) developed the first telescopic contact lens which can enhance our vision by zooming three times. This 1.17mm thick lens has been created to aid the vision of people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which damages the high-resolution center of the… »