Biomedical

24 Nov 23

Butterfly-Eyed Sensors Capture UV Images

Computer & Information Technology

The compound eyes of an insect are structurally very different from that of a human—almost a separate category of organ altogether from the more familiar ocular arrangement of lens, cornea, iris, and retina. For instance, Papillio xuthus, the Asian Swallowtail Butterfly, can see wavelengths of light in the ultraviolet spectrum,…

07 Nov 23

Will Their Bionic Eyes Be Obsolete and Unsupported Too?

Computer & Information Technology

Pixium Vision SA, a Paris-based company that was developing high-tech retinal implants to treat certain visual conditions, is headed into receivership while it hunts for a buyer.Pixium’s PRIMA system, currently implanted in 47 users in Europe and the U.S., comprises a tiny implant in the retina, connected to a pair…

25 Aug 23

Record Broken: Decoding Words From Brain Signals

Computer & Information Technology

Two new brain-computer interfaces (BCI)—electronic bridges between mind and machine—decode words from people’s unspoken but intended speech. The two systems, presented in papers published this week in the journal Nature, demonstrate performance breakthroughs for speech-decoding BCI developed by scientists at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco.Both papers…

01 Aug 23

AI-Assisted Pathology Ready For Mainstream

Computer & Information Technology

Laboratory scientists and clinical pathologists currently spend hours in darkened rooms analyzing and testing tissue and fluids of patients for evidence of disease. Unlike blood tests, which are performed using automated analyzers, pathology samples are subject to time-consuming manual microscopy. Digital pathology, which uses a computer-controlled microscope to scan and…

30 Jul 23

The Cold War Arms Race Over Prosthetic Arms

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

In 1961, Norbert Wiener, the father of cybernetics, broke his hip and wound up in Massachusetts General Hospital. Wiener’s bad luck turned into fruitful conversations with his orthopedic surgeon, Melvin Glimcher. Those talks in turn led to a collaboration and an invention: the Boston Arm, an early myoelectric prosthesis. The…

01 May 23

IEEE Spectrum Wins 11 Editorial Awards

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

IEEE Spectrum garnered top honors at this year’s annual Jesse H. Neal Awards ceremony, held on 21 April. Known as the Pulitzer Prizes of business-to-business journalism, the Neal Awards recognize editorial excellence. The SIIA (Software and Information Industry Association) bestows the awards. For the fourth year in a row, IEEE…

17 Mar 23

3D Bioprinter Prints Tissue in Situ

Biotechnology & Biomedical

Bioprinting is the use of 3D printing techniques to fabricate tissues out of biomaterials. It is mainly used to create human tissue for research and for drug testing in vitro. When used to create a body part intended for implantation in a patient, the part must first be printed with…

15 Feb 23

Big Data Could Accelerate Drug Approvals

Biotechnology & Biomedical

It can take up to 15 years to get a new drug through the regulatory-approval process before it becomes available to patients. One of the reasons is the time it takes to analyze the mountains of data generated by clinical trials about the efficacy and safety of the product. Drug…

04 Jan 23

ChatGPT’s AI Can Help Screen For Alzheimer’s

Biotechnology & Biomedical

The AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT is taking the Internet by a storm with its impressive language capabilities, helping to draw up legal contracts as well as write fiction. But it turns out that the underlying technology could also help spot the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, potentially making it possible to…