A water-repellent, conductive textile that converts electricity and sunlight into heat

Researchers from the IIT Guwahati have developed a fabric which could be heated to make it useful in a range of applications that require controlled heating. This self-cleaning and flexible textile can convert electricity using a small rechargeable battery or solar energy into heat and can maintain the temperature between 40°C and 60°C for over 10 hours. According to researchers, this innovative textile addresses the serious health risks associated with exposure to very low temperatures, including hemoconcentration-based arterial blood clotting, breathing difficulties, and weakened immunity.

                The fibre is made with ultra-thin and clean silver nanowires onto cotton fabric, which allows the electrothermal conversion at low applied voltage and eliminates the risk of electrocution. Additionally, researchers tested the textile in wearable knee and elbow bands, to provide sustained warmth for individuals working in cold environments and arthritis patients needing localised heat therapy. The research has been published in the journal Nano-Micro-Small.

                Source: IIT Guwahati Press Release.

A gel that can self-heal like human skin

We all encounter gels in daily life – from the soft, sticky substances you put in your hair, to the jelly-like components in various foodstuffs. While human skin shares gel-like characteristics, it has unique qualities that are very hard to replicate. It combines high stiffness with flexibility, and it has remarkable self-healing capabilities, often healing completely within 24 hours after injury.

                Until now, artificial gels have either managed to replicate this high stiffness or natural skin’s self-healing properties, but not both. Now, a team of researchers from Aalto University and the University of Bayreuth are the first to develop a hydrogel with a unique structure that overcomes earlier limitations, opening the door to applications such as drug delivery, wound healing, soft robotics sensors and artificial skin. The research was published in the journal Nature Materials.

                Source: Aalto University Press Release

A smart patch for health monitoring and drug delivery

Researchers from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST), South Korea, have developed a smart patch which could monitor health and deliver drugs as per the needs using real-time biometric signals. This patch integrates various sensors and a drug delivery system into a single unit using a foldable structure, enabling real-time cardiovascular health monitoring and immediate drug administration when necessary. According to researchers they are further trying to use this technology to be widely applicable across multiple medical fields, including glucose management, pain relief, and chronic disease treatment.

                Source: Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST) News
 

A Robot of All Terrain

Imagine a robot which could acquire different shapes according to the requirements of the environment. Turning this imagination into reality researchers from the EPFL-Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne, developed a bioinspired robot named GOAT (Good Over All Terrains) which could morph between a flat rover and a sphere as it moves. The GOAT could be a switch between driving, rolling and swimming.

                According to researchers, this robot holds many potential applications like environment monitoring, disaster response, and even extra-terrestrial exploration. The research was published in Science Robotics.

                Source: EPFL-Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne News

IIT Kanpur develops LiDAR-based intelligent sprayer for smarter, sustainable orchard farming

Researchers from IIT Kanpur, in collaboration with SimDaaS Autonomy Pvt. Ltd and AV Agritech, has developed a first-of-its-kind LiDAR-based intelligent sprayer technology for orchard farming. The intelligent sprayer, with day & night capability, employs advanced LiDAR technology to scan trees ensuring precision in chemical application and optimising resource utilisation. The system is equipped with an integrated GPS-enabled mobile app that provides real-time updates on sprayed areas, agrochemical consumption, and device performance.

                        Additionally, its user-friendly design, featuring waterproof connectors and an easy plug-and-play setup, ensures a smooth adoption process for farmers. The system also addresses common challenges faced by farmers, such as preventing speed overruns and lane skipping. Alerts generated by the system notify users of such issues, enhancing efficiency and reliability.

Source: IIT Kanpur Press Release

A drone that can walk, hop and jump for take-off

Taking inspiration from perching birds like ravens and crows, researchers from the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (EPFL) have built a drone RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple ENvironments) that can walk, hop, and jump into flight with the aid of birdlike legs. For better access for deliveries or disaster relief, this drone’s unique design allows it to walk, traverse gaps in terrain, and even jump up onto an elevated surface 26 centimetres high. The research was published in Nature.

Measure your blood pressure using a smartphone

In an innovative way to measure blood pressure, researchers from the University of California San Diego use a phone’s native camera, vibration motor and motion sensor. The technique works by measuring the patient’s finger pressure when applied to the screen of a vibrating phone. Using this the oscillometric blood pressure is then determined using standard calculations based on pulse measurements from the blood flow under the applied pressure. The research was published in Scientific Reports.

Source: University of California San Diego News

A reusable sponge to remove pollutants from water

Researchers from Northwestern University have developed a specialised reusable sponge to remove pollutants from contaminated water. The sponge is coated with nanoparticles that have an affinity for pollutants. Addressing the limitations of currently available solutions the reusable sponge can collect metals like zinc, copper, lead, and phosphate, from water and microplastics and oil from lakes and oceans. According to researchers, these valuable pollutants could easily be released by exposing them to different pH’s and the sponge could be used further many times. The research was published in the ACS journal.

Source: Northwestern University Press Release

IIT Bombay develops painless shockwave-based needle-free syringe

To get rid of the pain and fear of needle-syringe, researchers from IIT Bombay have developed a shockwave-based needle-free syringe. The newly developed syringe pierces the skin with the help of high-energy pressure waves (shock waves). This high pressure in this syringe is developed by the inbuilt microjet.

                     The opening of the nozzle is about the width of human hair i.e. 125 μm which makes the whole process smooth and pain-free. Moreover, this syringe causes less damage to the skin and prevents infection and blood-borne diseases caused by needle-stick injuries. According to researchers, the shock syringes could deliver multiple shots of a drug, therefore, making it cost-effective also. The study was published in the Biomedical Materials & Devices.

Source: IIT Bombay News

Researchers develop a sprayable hydrogel to improve wound healing

The process of wound healing is time-consuming and ignoring, or not taking care of it properly could further lead to infection. Therefore, to address this problem researchers from IIT Delhi developed a hydrogel to improve wound healing. In the preclinical trials, this hydrogel heals the wound within 6 days in comparison to 12 days by other products available currently.

                        According to researchers — like a human body that releases important metal ions namely calcium, copper, and zinc in a certain order at injury sites, this skilfully engineered biocompatible sprayable hydrogel fills the wound and releases these multi-ions from medical grade Polylactic Acid (PLA) based micro-carriers in sync with the body’s natural process, effectively enhancing the healing process. The research was published in Advanced Healthcare Materials.

Wearable devices can detect and predict inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups

Wearable devices can identify, differentiate, and predict flare-ups, or the worsening of symptoms and inflammation, in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Mount Sinai researchers have shown in a first-of-its-kind study. The findings, published in the journal Gastroenterology, suggest that wearable technology can predict the subsequent development of flares in IBD, enabling continuous disease monitoring through widely available commercial devices.

Source: Mount Sinai Press Release 

Wearable ultrasound device for long-term muscle monitoring

Photo by Muyang Lin

Researchers from the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable ultrasound device which could continuously monitor the muscle for the long term. The wireless monitoring device is powered by a battery and could easily be stuck to the body. The device addresses the limitations of currently available technologies by providing high-resolution tracking of muscle function. According to researchers the technology developed by them opens new possibilities in healthcare like prosthetics, gaming and other human-machine interface applications. The work was published in Nature Electronic.

Source: University of California San Diego News Release

Robots with Living Skin

Researchers have found a way to bind engineered skin tissue to the complex forms of humanoid robots. This brings potential benefits to robotic platforms, such as increased mobility, self-healing abilities, embedded sensing capabilities and an increasingly lifelike appearance. Taking inspiration from human skin ligaments, the team, led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, included special perforations in a robot face, which helped a layer of skin take hold. Their research could be useful in the cosmetics industry and help train plastic surgeons. The research was published in Cell Reports Physical Science.

Source: University of Tokyo Press Release
 

An Invisible Mask

Addressing the limitations of existing masks, researchers from the University of Michigan startup Taza Aya have developed a technology preventing 99.8% of aerosols from reaching the face. This technology protects wearers from airborne infectious pathogens using treated air. It works as an invisible shield or an air curtain, encircling the face coming from nozzles at the hat’s brim. This invisible mask could be helpful to workers who work in industries where respiratory disease transmission is one of the major problems.

                    This technology includes a backpack weighing around 10 pounds with a nonthermal plasma module, air handler, electronics and the unit’s battery pack. The handler draws air into the module, where it’s treated before flowing to the air curtain’s nozzle array. This further makes an air curtain around the face to protect against pathogens.
Source: University of Michigan News
 

MeDevIS: A Global Repository on Medical Devices

WHO developed the first global open access clearing house for information on medical devices, MeDevIS (Medical Devices Information System). It is an online platform designed to support governments, regulators and users in their decision-making on the selection, procurement and use of medical devices for diagnostics, testing and treatment of diseases and health conditions.

                The MeDevIS platform includes 2301 types of medical devices used for broad-ranging health issues — reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, as well as infectious diseases such as COVID-19. This platform could be useful for national policymakers to develop or update their national lists for procurement of health technologies and devices. It can contribute to the progress towards universal health coverage.
Source: WHO News Release
 

Smart Soil to Capture Water directly out of Thin Air

To make irrigation more sustainable and address the problem of overuse of water and fertilization, researchers from the University of Texas at Austin developed a newly engineered type of soil. The soil is modified in such a way as to capture water directly out of thin air to keep the plants hydrated. Additionally, the modified soil also manages to release the fertilizer in a controlled manner, keeping a check on excessive nutrient exposure, a major reason for environmental pollution. The research was published in ACS Material Letters.

                The breakthrough was achieved by developing a hydrogel material which underpins the smart soil to capture water. According to researchers, during the experiments, plants rooted in hydrogel soil saw a 138% increase in stem length compared to a control group in regular soil. However, the capturing power of hydrogel varies depending on the humidity in the atmosphere. 
Source: University of Texas at Austin News
 

A sustainable way to purify arsenic from water

Addressing the high proportion of arsenic in water, researchers at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a novel remediation process for removing heavy metal contaminants such as arsenic from groundwater. While existing technologies can remove arsenic from water by dumping untreated heavy metal-rich sludge into landfills, which pollutes the groundwater, they are also not sustainable. Therefore, IISc researchers address the issue in a three-step method: (i) passing the contaminated water through a bed of biodegradable adsorbent made of chitosan; (ii) alkaline wash solution; (iii) bioremediation step. 

Source: IISc Press Release

Low-cost and simple way to capture carbon directly from the air

Scientists and researchers are working on various measures to capture carbon directly from the atmosphere, but it’s still an expensive and difficult process. To make this process more energy efficient and simple, researchers from the University of Cambridge developed an inexpensive and as simple as charging a battery-like method to capture CO2 inside our home. 

                    According to the researchers, they used a battery-like charging process to charge an activated charcoal cloth with hydroxide ions to capture the carbon. The cloth would act like an electrode in a battery, and hydroxide ions accumulate in the pores of the charcoal. Later, the charcoal is removed from the battery, washed and dried — an inexpensive and simple method. The results were reported in the journal Nature.
Source: University of Cambridge Research News

Animal brain inspired drone — a breakthrough in AI

To make drones small, agile, and smart, researchers from Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, have developed an autonomous flying drone that uses neuromorphic image processing and control based on the workings of animal brains. The animal brain uses less data and energy than existing deep neural networks on GPUs. Therefore, this process will help make them lightweight and smaller because they will not rely on large batteries and other hardware. 

                According to researchers, this drone processes data up to 64 times faster and consumes three times less energy than running on a GPU. This advancement will further help to make tiny drones easily used in narrow environments. The findings were published in Science Robotics. 

Source: Delft University of Technology News

Robotics Pills treat inflammatory bowel disease in mice

Treating the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which affects millions of people worldwide researchers from the University of California San Diego have developed a Microbot-packed pill which is packed inside a liquid capsule with a pH-responsive coating. This pill will release microrobots into the colon for treating the damaged colon. Although the experiments are done on mice but it holds a promise for further developments. Additionally, ensuring the safety standards the nanoparticles are made of biocompatible materials. The study was published in Science Robotics. 
Source: University of California San Diego News
 

Soft X-ray microscope to see live mammalian cells

Researchers from the University of Tokyo have developed a new soft X-ray microscope, which makes it possible to see live mammalian cells and carbon structures within the cells. The team used a powerful, soft X-ray free electron laser to emit ultrafast pulses of illumination at the speed of femtoseconds, or quadrillionths of a second.

                Through this, they could capture images of carbon-based structures in living cells for the first time before the soft X-ray radiation damaged them. Refined Wolter mirrors, a type of ultraprecise mirror, were created to enable the microscope to capture images with high spatial resolution and a wide field of view. According to the researchers, this microscope could be used to understand the dynamic nature of cellular biology better. The research was published in Optica.

Source: University of Tokyo Press Release

Soft and digital screens — feel item through your phone

Imagine you want to buy something online and check the quality by touching it. Well, it seems quite challenging. Researchers from the University of Bath have advanced in this field through which our experience with screens will completely transform in a new way. Scientists invented a touch screen — DeformIO for digital devices that can be deformed through finger pressure, becoming softer or stiffer in direct response to force applied by the user.

                According to the researchers, DeformIO, which is made of silicone, works using pneumatics and resistive sensing (a technique that transforms physical forces into electric signals) to detect pressure. With this technology, users can depress the screen and then run their fingers across the surface to create a natural, continuous movement. The research was published in Association for Computing Machinery.

Source: University of Bath Press Release

Tiny droplets that harness laser light to detect disease markers

Researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, created biodegradable microdroplets to precisely detect diseases or viral protein biomarkers. These microdroplets, about one-third the diameter of a strand of human hair, could potentially travel in the bloodstream to reach all parts of the human body and detect particles shed by cells, known as exosomes, which function as disease biomarkers.

               These disease biomarkers could be detected by laser light by entering the droplet. According to researchers, the microdroplets serve as a focal point for laser light; when the laser light hits them, it repeatedly bounces inside the droplet. This creates a stronger energy signal emitted from the droplet, leading to more accurate, precise and easily detectable signals. Additionally, these customisable biodegradable microdroplets offer flexibility in motion and detection, and could be safely absorbed by the body. The research was reported in the journal Nano Letters.

Source: Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, Press Release
 

Skin-attachable adhesive device to monitor the wearer’s health

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University have developed a skin-attachable, reprogrammable, multifunctional, adhesive device which could detect and monitor the wearer’s health by directly attaching to the human skin.  The device also remains adhesive and monitors even when the skin is wet or sweating, and it could be recycled when its quality deteriorates.

                According to the researchers, the device can monitor sweat pH value, glucose, and lactate concentrations. Moreover, it can also be reprogrammed to monitor heart rate, nerve performance and sweat glucose concentrations in real-time. The study was published in Advanced Materials.

Source: Pennsylvania State University News

India’s first mobile Medical Devices Calibration facility

To keep medical devices functioning properly, their timely maintenance is crucial. Therefore, to make this facility more readily accessible, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has launched India’s first ‘medical devices calibration facility on wheels’. This first-of-its-kind facility in India is geared towards providing an affordable quality calibration facility and enabling accurate disease diagnosis and treatment.

                Due to its geographical variation, India has a wide range of terrain — mountains, deserts, forests- and this facility will help provide quality healthcare even in remote areas. According to researchers, it will also help reduce calibration and transportation costs and the time required. This is a progressive step towards affordable, scalable, quality health care for all. 
 
Source: IIT Madras Press Release
 

IIT Guwahati Pioneers Groundbreaking Speech Reconstruction Technology

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati have achieved a significant breakthrough in speech technology by developing and patenting “LOQU”, a novel method to generate human speech signals directly from vocal cord vibration signals.

                This technology captures vocal fold movement without invasive procedures, utilising sensors placed over the throat. This approach allows for the reconstruction of speech signals from vocal cord vibrations, offering promising applications for speech-impaired individuals and medical settings.  
According to the researchers, the reconstructed speech signals are clear and comparable to traditional speech in extensive comparison tests. Additionally, these results hold significant potential for individuals struggling with speech impairments, offering a viable alternative to traditional microphones and enhancing speech clarity.

Source: IIT Guwahati Press Release
 

Sodium Battery — Charges in Just a Few Seconds

Overcoming the limitations of existing Sodium-ion batteries, researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea, developed a high-energy, high-power hybrid sodium-ion battery which is capable of rapid charging within a few seconds.

                The existing sodium-ion batteries face fundamental limitations, including lower power output, constrained storage properties, and longer charging times. Therefore, researchers developed this new hybrid system, which integrates anode materials typically used in batteries with cathodes suitable for supercapacitors. This combination allows the device to achieve high storage capacities and rapid charge-discharge rates, positioning it as a viable next-generation alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The research was published in the international journal Energy Storage Materials.

Source: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) News
 

New plastic coating discovery gives greater functionality to 3D printing

With the increasing use of 3D printing which is transforming the manufacturing in a new way, researchers are working to make this technique more and more viable. But still, there are a few challenges 3D printing industry is facing due to some limitations and one of them is the functionality of the polymers used. Therefore, in a recent advancement researchers from the University of Nottingham have developed a new coating for plastic particles that are used in 3D printing.

                Researchers have used supercriticial carbon dioxide to create an efficient, effective and clean process to coat PA-12 polymer particles used in a 3D printing process. Additionally, this coating have the ability to add colour and anti-mould and fungal properties to the printing process. Moreover, this process can easily be incorporated into current commercial 3D printing. The research has been published in Nature Communications.

Source: University of Nottingham Press Release
 

Indigenously-developed electric standing wheelchair

Researchers from IIT Madras have developed a user-centric, customisable electric standing wheelchair named NeoStand. It is a compact standing wheelchair with easy-to-use navigation for its motorised standing mechanism. At the touch of a button, wheelchair users can effortlessly transition from sitting to standing, opening a world of possibilities, engaging in eye-level conversations, reaching for a book, or simply enjoying a cup of coffee standing by a counter.
                NeoStand redefines the wheelchair experience with its user-centric design. It promises users the freedom to sit for prolonged hours and stand comfortably when needed, reducing the risk of secondary health complications.

Source: IIT Madras Press Release

A solar cell you can bend and soak in water

In a recent advancement in wearable devices, researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and collaborators have developed an organic photovoltaic film that is both waterproof and flexible, allowing a solar cell to be put onto clothes and still function correctly after being rained on or even washed. One of the potential uses of organic photovoltaics is to create wearable electronics — devices that can be attached to clothing that can monitor medical devices, for example, without requiring battery changes.   
However, researchers have found it challenging to achieve waterproofing without the use of extra layers that end up decreasing the flexibility of the film. Now, in work published in Nature Communications, a group of scientists have been able to do precisely that. 
  
Source: RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science Press Release

A Window coating blocks heat without blocking a clear view

Imagine a window of the house or a vehicle that allows only visible sunlight and blocks incoming rays responsible for heating the interior, which helps keep the inside temperature as cool as possible, saving energy. To make this possible, researchers from the University of Notre Dame developed a new coating for windows that only allows visible light inside and blocks ultraviolet and infrared light (responsible for generating heat). To make this possible, the researchers used quantum computing.
                According to researchers, the coating maintains functionality and efficiency regardless of the sun’s position in the sky from sunrise to sunset, allowing only visible light. Additionally, this available coating can be incorporated into existing windows or automobiles without replacing the existing windows. The lab’s results were published in Cell Reports Physical Science.

Source: University of Notre Dame News

Researchers develop cost-effective motion sensors for healthcare applications

Researchers from the IIT, Guwahati, have successfully engineered a cost-effective, gel-based wearable device capable of recording motion signals. The Organohydrogel sensor, placed on the bodies of patients in comatose states or facing similar conditions through a wireless device and a smartphone, can monitor subtle movements over an extended period. The innovative wearable Organohydrogel developed by the researchers is low-cost and has a shelf life of more than 50 days. Additionally, the gel-based device can wirelessly record motion signals that can be used for healthcare applications. The findings have been published in ACS Applied Material and Interfaces.
Source: IIT Guwahati Press Release
 

Smart ‘Earring’ to Monitor Temperature

Researchers from the University of Washington have developed a wireless smart thermal Earring. The developed prototype is small to the size and weight of a paperclip, which is capable of monitoring the earlobe temperature continuously. The device possesses a battery life of 28 days.    The earring has two sensors for measuring the temperature, one is attached to the wearer’s ear with a magnetic clip, whereas another one hangs below the first one. The earrings have an efficient power consumption. Interesting that researchers focused on the fashion trend as well because earrings can be made in personalised designs too. The work was published in Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies. 
    
Source: University of Washington News Release
 

Sensor for Alcohol Detection through Breath Monitoring

Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur researchers have developed the first “Make in India” human breath sensor based on metal oxides and nano silicon operating at room temperature. The device’s primary function is to measure alcohol content in the breath in drunk and driving cases. Moreover, the developed sensor also does not require any extra batteries or preparation time.

                However, with some changes in sensing layers and the use of an array of sensors (for Electronic Nose or Artificial Nose), and data analytics, it can also be very useful for characterisation of diseases, such as asthma, diabetic ketoacidosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sleep apnea, and cardiac arrest, where the person's breath volatile organic compounds are monitored. The study was published in the journal IEEE Sensors Letters.

Source: IIT Jodhpur Press Release
 

Ultrasound sticker

Engineers at MIT have developed a postage stamp size sticky wearable ultrasound sticker which is capable of monitoring the stiffness of deep internal organs. The sticker is designed and equipped to identify the early signs of diseases such as liver and kidney failure and the progression of solid tumours. The sticker can be worn on the skin. The development appeared in Science Advances.

Source: MIT News
 

Infection-resistant, 3D-printed metals for implants

Researchers from Washington State University developed a novel surgical implant, able to kill 87% of the bacteria that cause staph infections in laboratory tests while remaining strong and compatible with surrounding tissue like current implants. The work, reported in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing.

                According to researchers, the development could someday lead to better infection control in many common surgeries, such as hip and knee replacements, that are performed daily around the world. Bacterial colonisation of the implants is one of the leading causes of their failure and bad outcomes after surgery. Additionally, the biggest advantage of this type of multifunctional device is that one can use it for infection control as well as for good bone tissue integration, according to researchers.

                Source: Washington State University Press Release
 

BRAHMA-2D Model Revolutionises Hydraulic Design for Sustainable River Management

Researchers at the  IIT Guwahati in collaboration with the Brahmaputra Board, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, have developed an indigenous river model BRAHMA-2D (Braided River Aid: Hydro-Morphological Analyzer). This comprehensive mathematical model can help to understand the flow of large braided rivers, providing valuable insights to field engineers to design sustainable hydraulic structures like Spurs, Revetment and other river bank protection measures.

                Predicting river flow variations across depth is crucial for flood and erosion control, agriculture and water supply intake design, and zero head energy production. Traditional measurement methods of flow velocity in deep, large rivers during high monsoons are risky and extremely difficult, prompting the use of mathematical models. However, existing models provide only average velocity, underestimating undercurrents at different depths. In braided rivers, the presence of sandbars further complicates accurate three-dimensional velocity computation. The findings were published in the journal ISH Journal of Hydraulic Engineering.

Source: IIT Guwahati Press Release

Mini-robots Modelled on Insects

Two insect-like robots, a mini-bug and a water strider, developed at Washington State University, are the smallest, lightest and fastest fully functional micro-robots ever known to be created. Such miniature robots could someday be used for work in areas such as artificial pollination, search and rescue, environmental monitoring, micro-fabrication or robotic-assisted surgery.

               The mini-bug weighs eight milligrams while the water strider weighs 55 milligrams; both can move at about six millimetres a second. The study was reported in the proceedings of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society’s International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

Source: Washington State University Press Release

Bio-logger — Records the Rare Behaviours of Wild Animals

It’s always exciting to notice the unusual activities of animals, which are simultaneously difficult to catch. Their rare behaviours are not captivating to humans only; they are of great interest to scientists to get new insights into the research. Since their infrequent behaviours are not readily observable for various reasons, the details of their behaviours remain elusive. However, to overcome this constraint, researchers from Osaka University in Japan have developed a tiny artificial intelligence-based ‘Bio-logger’, a small sensor-based data logger. The Bio-logger automatically captures the video of the target animal’s rare behaviour without the researcher’s supervision. The study published in PNAS Nexus offers an approach to documenting the rare behaviours of animals that were overlooked earlier and facilitating our understanding of target animal behaviours.

Source: Osaka University, Research New

Gajraj Suraksha - To Reduce Elephant-Train Collision

To address the problem of elephants colliding with trains, the Indian Railways launched an AI-based system, initially named “Gajraj Suraksha,” to tackle the problem. The technology will help alert the loco-pilot about the presence of elephants nearby. The timely alert by the system will help to avoid any mishappening. The system has successfully undergone trials as a pilot project.

Sensor for Rapid Water Quality Monitoring

Researchers from IIT Delhi’s Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology have developed a sensor for real-time water quality monitoring using electricity-generating microorganisms. Known as “electroactive microorganisms”, these microbes generate an electrical current and are widely researched for power generation but can also be used for biosensing.

                The sensor uses “weak electricigen”, a category of electroactive microbes, known for generating low levels of electricity. When the weak electricigens encounter a pollutant, their current output decreases. By measuring their extracellular current continuously, the approach facilitates real-time monitoring of water quality.

                The sensor uses “weak electricigen”, a category of electroactive microbes, known for generating low levels of electricity. When the weak electricigens encounter a pollutant, their current output decreases. By measuring their extracellular current continuously, the approach facilitates real-time monitoring of water quality.

Source: IIT Delhi Press Release

Virtual Reality Goggles for Mice

Researchers from Northwestern University have developed new Virtual Reality (VR) goggles for mice called Miniature Rodent Stereo Illumination VR (iMRSIV). According to researchers, these miniature goggles provide more immersive experiences for mice living in laboratory settings. By more faithfully simulating natural environments, the researchers can more accurately and precisely study the neural circuitry that underlines behaviour.

                Additionally, researchers used the goggles to simulate an overhead threat — something that had been previously impossible with current systems. The system comprises two lenses and two screens — one for each side of the head to separately illuminate each eye for 3D vision, which provides each eye with a 180-degree field-of-view that fully immerses the mouse and excludes the surrounding environment. The research was published in the journal Neuron.

Source: Northwestern University News Release

New AI noise-cancelling headphone

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed deep-learning algorithms to help filter out unwanted sounds while using headphones in real-time. The system is called “semantic hearing”, enabling users to pick the sounds that filter through their headphones in real-time.

                Using smartphones, users can cancel out all environmental sounds using the app or voice command. Users can select sounds they want to include, which will be played via headphones. 

New Conductive, Cotton-based Fiber for Smart Textiles

Researchers from Washington State University developed a single strand of fibre that has the flexibility of cotton and the electric conductivity of a polymer, called polyaniline. The newly developed material showed good potential for wearable e-textiles. The WSU researchers tested the fibres with a system that powered an LED light and another that sensed ammonia gas, detailing their findings in the journal Carbohydrate Polymers.

                According to researchers, further development in the field could lead to the integration of fibres like these into apparel as sensor patches with flexible circuits. These patches could be part of uniforms for firefighters, soldiers or workers who handle chemicals to detect hazardous exposures. Other applications include health monitoring or exercise shirts that can do more than current fitness monitors.

Researchers Design a Pulsing Nanomotor

An international team of scientists headed by the University of Bonn has developed a novel type of nanomotor. A clever mechanism drives it and can perform pulsing movements. The researchers are now planning to fit it with a coupling and install it as a drive in complex machines. Their findings have now appeared in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

                The motor is similar to a hand grip trainer that strengthens your grip when used regularly. However, the motor is around one million times smaller. Two handles are connected by a spring in a V-shaped structure.

Genetic Test Device Identify viruses within three minutes with highest accuracy

A virus diagnosis device that gives lab-quality results within just three minutes has been invented by engineers at the University of Bath, who describe it as the ‘world’s fastest COVID test’. The prototype LoCKAmp device uses innovative ‘lab on a chip’ technology and has been proven to provide rapid and low-cost detection of COVID-19 from nasal swabs. According to researchers, the technology could easily be adapted to detect other pathogens such as bacteria — or even conditions like cancer.

                The device works by rapidly releasing and amplifying genetic material from a nasal swab sample by carrying out a chemical reaction to produce a result, which can be viewed on a smartphone app. The device and how it works is published in the journal Lab on a Chip.

Cobalt-free Battery for Cleaner, Greener Power

A wide variety of elements are used in the production of high-capacity and reliable rechargeable batteries, including cobalt, the production of which contributes to some environmental, economic and social issues. To tackle the issue, a team including researchers from the University of Tokyo introduced new electrodes and electrolytes.

                The new electrodes and electrolytes are not only devoid of cobalt, but they actually improve upon current battery chemistry in some ways. The new LIBs’ energy density is about 60% higher, which could equate to longer life, and it can deliver 4.4 volts, as opposed to about 3.2-3.7 volts of typical LIBs. Additionally, the test batteries with the new chemistry were able to fully charge and discharge over 1,000 cycles (simulating three years of full use and charging), whilst only losing about 20% of their storage capacity.

Micro Heat Engine High power achieved with high efficiency

Designing a heat engine that can produce maximum power at maximum efficiency is a major challenge. Practical heat engines are limited to a theoretical efficiency called the Carnot limit, which sets a cap on how much heat can be converted to useful work. In a breakthrough, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have devised a novel “micro heat engine” that has overcome this limitation at the lab scale. The study was published in Nature Communications.

                According to researchers the unique micro-scale engine operates with just one particle. Additionally, the size of the engine is very small, about 1/100th the width of a single human hair.

Skin Patch — Painlessly Delivers Drugs into the Body

An affordable microneedle skin patch that delivers a controlled dosage of medicine directly into the body, eliminating the need for injections or oral medication, has been developed by a team led by scientists at the University of Bath. The patch is smaller than a pound coin and is covered in barely visible microneedles.
                It is hoped that the patches described in the journal Biomaterials Advances will be ready for use within the next five to 10 years.
 

IISc Team Develops Gallium Nitride Power Switch

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have developed a fully indigenous Gallium Nitride (GaN) power switch that can have potential applications in systems like power converters for electric vehicles and laptops and in wireless communications. The study was published in the journal Microelectronic Engineering.
                Due to their high performance and efficiency, GaN transistors are poised to replace traditional silicon-based transistors as the building blocks in many electronic devices, such as ultrafast chargers for electric vehicles, phones and laptops, as well as space and military applications such as radar.
 

MilliMobile — tiny, self-driving robot powered only by light and radio waves

Millimobile is a small self-driving robot that relies on onboard sensors and computing chips to navigate. Researchers at the University of Washington have developed this tiny robot that can be powered by surrounding light or radio waves. The newly developed robot has a solar panel-like energy harvester and four wheels, weighs very light as much as a raisin, and is about the size of a penny. The tiny robot is capable of moving up to 30 feet (10 meters) in an hour, even on a cloudy day and on various surfaces like concrete or packed soil. This also carries a camera or sensors, which is nearly three times its weight.

Researchers Develop Scalable Wearable Pressure Sensor

Gait and postural deformities are incapacitating. Studies indicate that the most prominent deformities include splay foot, flat foot, unstable hind foot with protruding heels, high arches, and irregular gait. 
                Therefore, adequate monitoring of gait and postural deformities is imperative. They can provide valuable clues to the underlying recovery process or detect various medical conditions, accelerating the patient's recovery and avoiding any long-term harm.
                Researchers at IIT Delhi have developed a scalable wearable pressure sensor based on a nanocomposite material, that has a unique combination of light-sensitive polymer and piezoelectric nanoparticles, which offers the advantage of easy array design for pixelated sensing over large area, simple process flow, and low-cost implementation for human movement monitoring and injury rehabilitation. The study was published in the journal Nano Energy.
 

IIT Madras Launches ‘MovingMemory’ App

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Centre for Memory Studies has launched a 'MovingMemory' app that uses the technology of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality simultaneously. It captures various moving models of memory through digital reconstruction. It is a spatial app, developed with the potential to inhabit the metaverse world. 
                    The functions of the app enable the user to select any desired avatar and navigate through three-dimensional spaces. It is embedded with additional layers of video, audio, 3D images, and interactive elements which may be used as models for sustainable and heritage-oriented pedagogic and research approaches. It can be accessed either through mobile apps (Android and iOS) or through browser-based platforms, making it uniquely inclusive in quality.

Researchers achieve near-perfect light absorption in atomic-scale material

A University of Minnesota-led team has engineered an atomically thin material that can absorb nearly 100% of light at room temperature, a discovery that could improve a wide range of applications from optical communications to stealth technology. The paper is published in Nature Communications, 
                    Materials that absorb nearly all of the incident light — meaning not a lot of light passes through or reflects off of them — are valuable for applications that involve detecting or controlling light.
                  The researchers made this “near-perfect absorber” possible by using a technique called band nesting to manipulate the already unique electrical properties in a material made up of only two to three layers of atoms. Their fabrication method is simple, low-cost and requires no nano-patterning methods, which means it’s easier to scale up than that of other light-absorbing materials being studied.

Source: University of Minnesota, News Release 
 

Novel touch-sensitive Braille learning device for the blind and visually impaired

Researchers from IIT Kanpur, developed the “Single Refreshable Braille Cell Based Braille Learning Device with a Touch Sensitive Array” to make a significant impact in the field of accessible education. The affordable, self-learning solution has the potential to transform the lives of countless visually impaired individuals.
                    A Single Refreshable Braille Cell usually converts electronic text into Braille characters that can be read by touch. The existing devices in the market normally use multiple braille cells to get the required functionality. But, in the pioneering technology developed at IIT Kanpur, a single braille cell has been seamlessly integrated with a cutting-edge touch array, enabling the device to deliver functionality comparable to multi-cell counterparts but at a significantly reduced cost. The device is specifically designed to instruct users in the fundamentals of braille, covering basic characters, words, and sentences.
 

Shape-changing smart speaker lets users mute different areas of a room

A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed a shape-changing smart speaker, which uses self-deploying microphones to divide rooms into speech zones and track the positions of individual speakers. The findings are published in Nature Communications. 
                   With the help of the team’s deep-learning algorithms, the system lets users mute certain areas or separate simultaneous conversations, even if two adjacent people have similar voices. Like a fleet of Roombas, each about an inch in diameter, the microphones automatically deploy from, and then return to, a charging station. This allows the system to be moved between environments and set up automatically. In a conference room meeting, for instance, such a system might be deployed instead of a central microphone, allowing better control of in-room audio. 
 

Robotic Gripping Device — Combo of Strength and Delicacy

Image Credit: news.ncsu.edu

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a robotic gripping device that is gentle enough to pick up a drop of water, strong enough to pick up a 6.4 kg weight, dexterous enough to fold a cloth, and precise enough to pick up microfilms that are 20 times thinner than a human hair. 
                                  In addition to possible manufacturing applications, the researchers also integrated the device with technology that allows the gripper to be controlled by the electrical signals produced by muscles in the forearm, demonstrating its potential for use with robotic prosthetics. The paper was published in the journal Nature Communications.
 

IIT Guwahati Researchers develop 3D printed cost-effective device for rapid diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection

Image Credit: flickr

Researchers at IIT Guwahati have developed a fast, accurate, and reliable device to detect specific bacteria that cause Urinary Tract infection (UTI). The device can measure and identify the type of bacteria in a UTI suspected patient in 5 minutes compared to conventional detection, which uses urine culture which requires a few days. The prototype device is cost effective and will be useful for rural areas where most UTI cases remain undetected due to lack of adequate testing facilities. The details of the Point-of-Care testing (POCT) prototype have been published in the journal ACS Applied Bio Materials. The device is cost-effective — the estimated cost of manufacturing the device is Rs 608 while testing a single sample will cost Rs 8 only.

Scientists invent micrometres-thin battery charged by saline solution

Image Credit: NTU Singapore

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a flexible battery as thin as a human cornea, which stores electricity when it is immersed in saline solution, and which could one day power smart contact lenses. The battery is made of biocompatible materials and does not contain wires or toxic heavy metals, such as those in lithium-ion batteries or wireless charging systems. The findings were published in the scientific journal Nano Energy.

                       Moreover, the battery could also be powered by human tears as they contain sodium and potassium ions, at a lower concentration. Testing the current battery with a simulated tear solution, the researchers showed that the battery’s life would be extended an additional hour for every twelve-hour wearing cycle it is used. Additionally, the battery can also be charged conventionally by an external power supply.

Miniature battery to power tiny devices integrated into human tissues

Bright-field image of a droplet power source 
Image Credit: chem.ox.ac.uk

Researchers from University of Oxford have developed a new ‘droplet battery’ — the miniaturised soft power source is produced by depositing a chain of five nanolitre-sized droplets of a conductive hydrogel (a 3D network of polymer chains containing a large quantity of absorbed water). The miniature battery could be used to power tiny devices integrated into human tissues. The new research will further help in the development of tiny bio-integrated devices and could also be used in biology and medicine application. The work has been published in the journal Nature.

                     According to researchers the small bio-integrated devices that can interact with and stimulate cells could have important therapeutic applications, including the delivery of targeted drug therapies and the acceleration of wound healing.

AI-based model to Predict Knee Osteoarthritis Severity from X-ray Images

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Knee Osteoarthritis is the most common musculoskeletal disorder in the world and has a prevalence of 28% in India. There is no possible cure for Knee OA except total joint replacement at an advanced stage hence an early diagnosis is essential for pain management and behavioral corrections.

                      Therefore, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati have developed a Deep Learning (DL)-based framework, namely Osteo HRNet that automatically assesses the Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) severity from X-ray images.

                         This AI-based model can be used to detect the severity level of the disease and assist medical practitioners remotely for a more accurate diagnosis. The research has been published in the journal Multimedia Tools and Applications.

Self-Sensing Electric Artificial Muscles

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have developed a durable and flexible new type of electric variable-stiffness artificial muscle that has self-sensing capabilities. This revolutionary artificial muscle exhibits flexibility and stretchability similar to natural muscles capable of adapting to various shapes. It can also rapidly adjust its stiffness by applying different voltages. The innovative technology has various applications, from soft robotics to medical applications. The study was published in Advanced Intelligent Systems.

Sensor Novel Thermal Sensor

Excess heat from electronic or mechanical devices is a sign or cause of inefficient performance. In many cases, embedded sensors to monitor the flow of heat could help engineers alter device behaviour or designs to improve their efficiency. For the first time, researchers exploit a novel thermoelectric phenomenon to build a thin sensor that can visualise heat flow in real-time. The sensor could be built deep inside devices where other kinds of sensors are impractical. It is also quick, cheap and easy to manufacture using well-established methods. The study was published in Advanced Materials.

Innovative Wearable Sensor for Measuring Sweat Lactate Levels during Exercise

Wearable microfluidic sensors can be used to monitor lactate concentration in sweat, a good indicator of exercise intensity. However, air bubbles present in the sweat can get into the microfluidic channels, hindering the measurement. In a recent study, researchers from Japan have developed a wearable sensor for continuously monitoring sweat lactate during exercise, which incorporates a bubble-trapping region in its microfluidic system. The proposed technology can facilitate athlete training management and health monitoring. The study was published in ACS Sensors.

Novel Solar Desalination System for Remote Areas

The most common methods for desalination are membrane-based reverse osmosis and thermal desalination. However, both consume a lot of energy.

                        As an alternative to such solar stills, the IISc (Indian Institute of Science), Bengaluru has developed a novel design for a solar-powered desalination unit that is more energy-efficient, cost-effective and portable, making it convenient to set up in areas with limited access to continuous electricity, explains Susmita Dash, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and corresponding author of the study published in Desalination.

Source: IISc Press Release

Programmable 3D Printed Wound Dressing

In view of the problems in changing dressings frequently in burn patients, researchers from the University of Waterloo have developed programmable 3D-printed reusable hydrogel wound dressing. The newly developed dressing will be beneficial in the healing process. The study was published in the Journal Colloids and Interfacial Science.

Source: University of Waterloo News

“Robomuse 5.0” — A Mobile Robot for Heavy Payloads

A mobile robot called "Robomuse 5.0", which would be suitable for various industries to carry payloads up to 100 kg and perform object manipulation by installing an arm on top of it, has been developed by researchers at IIT Delhi. This mobile robot is also a good research platform for various teaching and research organisations.

             The mobile robot, Robomuse 5.0, can have multiple applications, including the transportation of heavy items on a factory shop floor. If a manipulator is fitted on its top, the mobile manipulator can perform pick-and-place operations, e.g., to dispose of a faulty item in a bin.

Source: IIT Delhi Press Release

Researchers Develop New Superconducting Diode

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led team has developed a new superconducting diode, a key component in electronic devices, that could help scale up quantum computers for industry use and improve the performance of Artificial Intelligence systems. The paper was published in Nature Communications.

                     Compared to other superconducting diodes, the researchers’ device is more energy efficient, can process multiple electrical signals at a time, and contains a series of gates to control the flow of energy, a feature that has never before been integrated into a superconducting diode.

Source: University of Minnesota News Release

Jellyfish Bot — Underwater Cleaning Robot

Ocean pollution a major concern. Although various actions are being taken to tackle this environmental issue, cleaning oceans littered with trash is not easy. Roboticists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS), Stuttgart, have developed a “Jellyfish Bot” — an underwater robot that can collect waste from oceans deep-down. The jellyfish-inspired robot is nearly noise-free and energy-efficient and is capable of trapping the trash below it without being in touch thereby not impacting the surrounding delicate environment like coral reefs, etc. The study was published in Science Advances. 

Source: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems News

Testmyteeth — Smartphone App to Test Dental Plaque

Many of us are affected by oral diseases. However, sometimes we hesitate to go for a teeth check-up due to fear of dental syringe or dental drill. Now a University of Bath Mechanical Engineering graduate has launched a smartphone app namely “Testmyteeth” focusing on oral hygiene. Plaque formation in teeth is one of the initial causes of oral problems which needs to be taken care of to avoid it being turned into a major issue. By using this App, one can scan the teeth for better hygiene and detect the level of plaque in teeth. One may also get alert for areas that need proper brushing to avoid such situations.

Source: University of Bath Press release 

Portable screening device to assess the risk of cardiovascular diseases

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) have developed a portable device as compact as a digital blood pressure monitor to assess the health and age of blood vessels and thus help in early screening for cardiovascular diseases. At a time when cardiac events are on the increase, the device called Artsens can be used in routine medical examinations by even non-experts to assess and predict vascular health, the researchers said.

            Developed at the Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC) at IIT-Madras, it is a non-imaging proprietary probe attached to a computing platform and is at an advanced TRL level (technology readiness level). 

Source: IIT Madras Press release
 

Soft ‘e-skin’ that talks to the brain

Researchers from Stanford University have generated a soft ‘e-skin’ which is a single, multilayer, soft, and stretchable material with integrated nerve-like electronics. Just like our real skin, the soft e-skin is capable of sensing pressure, temperature, strain, etc. In an effort to mimic the senses of the real skin in e-skin, researchers have produced soft integrated circuits capable of converting the sensed signals into electrical signals. This mechanism is just like the nerve impulses communicating with the brain. The study was published in the journal Science.

Source: Stanford University Press release

Fireproof and Durable Oxygen-ion Battery

Researchers from the Vienna University of Technology have developed an oxygen-ion battery that is fireproof, durable, and can store large amounts of energy. The researchers used ceramic material — ceramics are not flammable preventing fire accidents as compared to the lithium-ion battery. Additionally, there is no need for rare elements, which are expensive and also have a harmful environmental effect. Their most important advantage is their durability. According to the researchers, while conventional ion batteries get discharged with usage, these oxygen-ion batteries can be easily charged through atmospheric oxygen. The study has been published in Advanced Energy Materials.

Source: Vienna University of Technology

Highly Efficient Spintronics-based Neuromorphic Hardware

Interactive voice assistants have made it very easy to obtain a response to a query or get tasks done online. However, it involves delivering the speech data to the cloud over the internet, processing the data in the cloud, and then providing a response to the device. But due to slow internet speed, power outages, and other factors, speech data is frequently lost.

                                This may change with the advent of neuromorphic computing, where local hardware with built-in memory executes all operations, hence preventing data loss while simultaneously reducing power consumption. A research team from IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay has built a new neuromorphic hardware using magnetic materials. The device is capable of storing data even when the power is off. It functions similar to a synapse in the neurological system. The findings are published in ACS Applied Electronic Materials. 

Source: IIT Delhi Press release

Thought-controlled Biosensor Technology operates robots & machines

Researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have developed a biosensor technology that can operate devices, such as robots and machines, through thought-control. It is based on Micropatterned Epitaxial Graphene which are very conductive, easy to use and robust. The technology works through Brain–Machine Interfaces (BMIs) — hands-free and voice-command-free communication systems that allow an individual to operate external devices through brain waves. According to the researchers, this technology can issue at least nine commands in two seconds. The researchers believe the technology will be of interest to the scientific community, industry and government, aerospace and healthcare — for example allowing people with disability to control a wheelchair or operate prosthetics. The study has been published in ACS Applied Nano Materials.

Source: University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

IIT Madras researchers develop database on Coronavirus Antibodies

Researchers from IIT Madras have developed an online open-source database called 'Ab-CoV' containing detailed information about all COVID-related antibodies identified so far, including the source of each antibody, and the viral protein(s) and virus strains they recognise. According to the researchers, “Ab-CoV has a wide range of search and display options through which users can directly search and download the processed data, based on the antibody's name, viral protein epitope, neutralised viral strain, antibody, and nanobody. It also has the option to view structures of antibodies or viral proteins in a 3D model.”

              The information compiled in this database will assist researchers in antibody engineering, analysing immune escape for known and future variants of SARSCoV-2, computational studies on neutralising antibodies, and relating structural features with binding affinity.

              The announcement was published in the journal Bioinformatics.

Source: IIT Madras Press release.

Self-charging Air Filter Face Mask

A research team at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has developed an air-filtration face mask that is efficient, durable and low-cost. It is a breath-to-charge electrostatic face mask for prolonged air filtration at the same time capable of self-charging through the user’s breathing.

                  This mask works through a Self-charging Air Filter (SAF), which leverages the triboelectric effect (i.e. build up of electricity by rubbing of two substances) and achieves efficient and prolonged airborne particle removal. The SAF maintains a high efficiency of 95.8%. The findings were published in Nature Communications.

Source: City University of Hong Kong

Hyperloop System for Coal/Mineral Transportation

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has made a significant contribution to the field of transportation with its innovative compressed air-based pipeline system for coal and mineral transportation. The traditional mode of transportation has always been a challenge, with issues like material loss, uncertainty in delivery time, and air pollution, whereasthis newly invented system is designed to transport coal or slurry from one point to another with compressed air as its energy source. In this system, the robot travels at approximately 120 km/hr and can transport the loaded block to the designated receiving/unloading sub-section continuously. Moreover, it also has a high delivery rate of 5.6 T/min/km corresponding to a pipe of just 40 inches. Additionally, the system also has an accurate, reliable, and continuous vehicle/robot positioning system.

Source: IIT Kanpur, Press Release

Headset gives the Wearer X-ray Vision

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an Augmented Reality (AR) headset called X-AR that can locate hidden items within a box or in corners. This AR headset gives the wearer an X-ray vision and its system utilizes Radio Frequency (RF) signals, capable of passing through common materials such as cardboard boxes, plastic containers or wooden dividers to find hidden items that have been labelled with RFID tags, which reflect signals sent by an RF antenna. The researcher has used a technique known as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which is similar to how aeroplanes image objects on the ground. According to researchers, this device could help workers to locate objects for e-commerce orders.

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, News

Ultrafast Laser Camera

Illustration of the ultrafast LS-CUP laser camera that captures what happens during combustion 

Physicists from the University of Gothenburg, together with colleagues in the US and Germany, have developed an ultrafast laser camera that can create videos with a record-fast speed of 12.5 billion images per second, which is at least a thousand times faster than today’s best laser equipment. This has enabled researchers to illustrate combustion with a time resolution that has never been achieved before. The results were published in the journal Light: Science & Applications.

Source: University of Gothenburg, Press release

Cardiac Imaging by Wearable Ultrasound Device

There is a widespread increase in fatalities due to cardiac-related diseases. And for a long time, researchers have been working hard to find various solutions and to monitor the heart as easily and quickly as possible.Now researchers from the University of California, San Diego developed a wearable, non-invasive heart monitor device that can be worn easily for 24 hours. This portable wearable system uses ultrasound to continuously capture high-quality images and provide real-time data of the human heart.  According to researchers, this device provides less exposure to radiation in comparison to current available devices. Furthermore, the device works during exercise also and is about the size of a postage stamp. The work has been described in the journal Nature.

Source: University of California-San Diego

Cost Efficient Carbon Capture System

The need for technology that can capture, remove and repurpose carbon dioxide grows stronger with every CO2 molecule that reaches the Earth’s atmosphere. To meet that need, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have cleared a new milestone in their efforts to make carbon capture more affordable and widespread. They have created a new system that efficiently captures CO2 — the least costly to date— and converts it into one of the world’s most widely used chemicals, methanol. It holds many uses as a fuel, solvent, and an important ingredient in plastics, paint, construction materials and car parts. The studies were published in the journal Chemical Sciences.

Source: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, News Release

'BharOS' — Indigenous Mobile Operating System

An Indian Institute of Technology Madras incubated firm has developed an Indigenous Mobile Operating System called 'BharOS'.This software can be installed on commercial off-the-shelf handsets. BharOS comes with No Default Apps (NDA). This means that users are not forced to use apps that they may not be familiar with or that they may not trust. Additionally, this approach allows users to have more control over the permissions that apps have on their device, as they can choose to only allow apps that they trust to access certain features or data on their device. BharOS provides access to trusted apps from organisation-specific Private App Store Services (PASS).

Source: IIT Madras, Press Release

Skin-integrated Wireless Haptic Interface Device

With the combination of low-power chip design, machine learning algorithms, and soft implantable electrodes, EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) researchers have developed a neural interface that can identify and suppress neurological symptoms. This was published in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

Source: EPFL, News

A Paper-thin Solar Cell

Researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), US, have developed a scalable fabrication technique capable of producing ultrathin, lightweight fabric solar cells. These cells, much thinner than human hair, can easily and rapidly convert any surface into a power source. As a wearable power fabric, they can provide energy on the go or be quickly deployed to remote locations in an emergency.

Source: MIT news

Flameproof Lithium-ion Batteries

A team of researchers from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University developed a non-flammable electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries. While conventional lithium-ion battery electrolytes are made of a lithium salt dissolved in a liquid organic solvent, such as ether or carbonate, which heat up rapidly and could catch fire easily; whereas the electrolyte developed by the researchers, Solvent-Anchored non-Flammable Electrolyte (SAFE), has proved to be non-flammable at high temperatures during tests in a lithium-ion battery. The report of the study was published in Matter.

Source: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, News

Heart Failure Monitoring — Belt with sensors Monitors 24/7

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science in association with FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing have developed a device model which is easily wearable and light in weight to monitor the physiological parameters of heart failure. The Healthcare Wearable Device (HWD) is embedded with sensors to monitor these parameters which need to be carefully monitored in case of heart failure. These parameters are thoracic impedance, ECG, heart rate, and motion activity. Reading of HWD can be viewed on smartphones. The study appeared in Scientific Reports.

Source: Florida Atlantic University, News

Skin-integrated Wireless Haptic Interface Device

A team of researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) developed a device called WeTac which is soft, ultrathin, light in weight, wireless, and wearable hand patch as compared to the currently available devices which are bulky, tangled in wire which restricted in providing good VR(Virtual Reality) and AR(Augmented Reality) experience. On contrary, the developed device allows users to experience virtual touch in a vivid, "personalised" way.The research findings were published in the scientific journal Nature Machine Intelligence.

Source: City University of Hong Kong, News

Mobile Application ‘IITD Aab Prahari

Under an international collaboration between the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT Delhi and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a project named ‘Water Security Hub’ was started in the Department of Civil Engineering (IIT Delhi) to develop new approaches to tackle the challenges and barriers to water security and sustainable development in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. The project is funded by the UKRI through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). Moving ahead, the Water Security Hub project has launched a mobile application named “IITD Aab Prahari” to address waterlogging issues in urban areas during the monsoon. The app is available on Google Play and very soon will be available on iOS app store also.

Source: Press Release, IIT Delhi

IIT Madras Students unveil its first Electric Racing Car

IIT Madras Students launched the first electric formula racing car to come from the institute during an event on the campus on 28 November 2022. Built completely by students Team Raftar, the formula car 'RF23' is the result of a one-year-long process in which the team undertook the Design, Manufacturing, and Testing. In terms of performance, the students expect to see significant improvements in speed and lap times compared to the earlier Internal Combustion Engine model due to the higher power delivered by an electric drive.

Source: Press Release, IIT Madras

Low-cost sensor records the level of rivers

Researchers at the University of Bonn have developed a method that allows the water level of rivers to be monitored around the clock. The cost-effective sensor is for instance suitable for area-wide flood warning systems. The study has been published in the journal Water Resources Research.

Source: Press Release, University of Bonn

Self-powered ingestible sensor

UC San Diego engineers have developed a battery-free, ingestible biosensing system that monitors the intestinal environment continuously. It allows scientists to monitor gut metabolites in real-time. As a result of this technological integration, we may gain a deeper understanding of intestinal metabolite compositions, which play a crucial role in human health. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Source: News, UC San Diego

Sensors for Face Masks that help Gauge Fit

Engineers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed sensors for face masks that help gauge fit. Any type of mask can be used with the sensor, which detects direct physical contact between the mask and the wearer's face. The technology also measures biological and environmental changes such as breathing pattern, activities of individuals, skin temperature, the temperature and humidity inside the face mask, the position of the mask, including whether or not people are wearing it properly. The study is published in journal Nature Electronics.

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), News

Smartphone’s Camera and Flash Measure Blood Oxygen Levels at Home

Image credit: Dennis Wise/University of Washington

Researchers from University of Washington and University of California San Diego have demonstrated that smartphones can detect blood oxygen saturation levels as low as 70%. In this technique, participants place their finger over the smartphone's camera and flash, which utilises a deep-learning algorithm to determine the blood oxygen levels. The smartphone correctly identified if a patient had low blood oxygen levels 80% of the time when the team gave six subjects a controlled dosage of nitrogen and oxygen to artificially lower their blood oxygen levels. The results are published in the journal npj Digital Medicine.

Source: University of Washington, News

New Materials for Stable LEDs Emitting Bright Light

Scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) have developed a new material through which we can move towards bright, stable and affordable Light-emitting Diodes (LEDs). They discovered that simple plasma treatment of inorganic material of cesium lead halide nanocrystals can lead to many folds improved stabilisation, indicating the promise of bright and stable LEDs. The study is published in the journal ACS Applied Nano Materials.

Sourcce: PIB, Press release

iTad — interactive Touch active display

Researchers from IIT Madras have developed a novel touchscreen display technology called ‘iTad’ for interactive touch active display. The technology allows users to feel the textures of images as their finger goes across the touch surface. Present touchscreens can only sense the location of finger touch. Software allows the researchers to produce a variety of textures, including sharp edges, switches, and rich textures that range from smooth to gritty.

Source: IIT Madras, Press release

Biodegradable, Biopolymer Nanocomposite to Detect Relative Humidity

Scientists from the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), have developed biodegradable, biopolymer nanocomposite that can detect relative humidity. These materials can be used as smart packaging, particularly for the food industry. In this, carbon dots (nanomaterial) were combined with two biopolymers, Guar Gum (a variety of beans derived from plant) and Alginate (derived from brown algae) to develop a nanocomposite film that was effectively used to detect relative humidity. The fabricated nanocomposite film was an excellent smart sensor based on the fluorescence ‘on-off’ mechanisms against humidity. The research was published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules.

Source: PIB, Press release

Sensing Pressure Using Paper

Wearable paper pressure sensor (Image Credit: Neha Sakhuja)

A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has fabricated pressure sensors that use paper as the medium. According to scientists, it is highly sensitive and can also detect a wide range of pressures (0-120 kPa) with a response time of just one millisecond. The sensor is made of plain and corrugated cellulose papers coated with the chemical tin-monosulfide (SnS), stacked alternatively to form a multi-layered architecture. Under specific conditions, semiconductor tin-monosulfide can conduct electricity. The paper was published in the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

Source: IISc, Press release

IIT Delhi Launches Mobile Application ‘IITD Aab Prahari’

A mobile application named "IITD Aab Prahari" has been launched by the Water Security Hub project of IIT Delhi to address waterlogging issues in urban areas during the monsoon. By capturing the waterlogging and uploading the data to a central server, the "IITD Aab Prahari" mobile application system enables individuals and communities to report the real-time incidence of flooding in and around their surroundings. The app is currently available on Google Play and will soon be available on the iOS app store.

Source: IIT Delhi, Press release

New Edible Coating to Extend Shelf Life of Fruits and Vegetables

A team of researchers from IIT, Guwahati, have developed an edible material that when coated on vegetables and fruits, significantly increased their shelf-life. To develop the edible material, the researchers combined an extract of a marine microalga called Dunaliella tertiolecta with polysaccharides. The material was tested on potatoes, tomatoes, green chillies, strawberries, Khasi Mandarin, apples, pineapples, and kiwis and was found to keep these fruits and vegetables fresh for nearly two months.

Source: India Science Wire

‘Snapping’ Footwear Prevents Diabetic Foot Complications

A team of researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, in collaboration with the Karnataka Institute of Endocrinology and Research (KIER), have developed a set of unique self-regulating footwear for people who suffer from nerve damage caused by diabetes, leading to a loss of sensation in the foot. Snapping mechanism in these footwear keeps the feet well-balanced, enabling faster healing of the injured region and preventing injuries from arising in other areas of the feet. The study was published in Wearable Technologies.

Source: IISc, Press release

Flexible, highly sensitive motion device

Wearable technology — smartwatches, heart monitors, sleep aid devices, even step counters — have become part of everyday life. And researchers with UBC Okanagan’s Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites Laboratory have created even smaller, lighter and highly-accurate sensors that can be integrated into clothing and equipment. Tiny and lightweight, these EMI shields can have applications in the health care, aerospace and automotive industries, explains Dr Mohammad Arjmand, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Advanced Materials and Polymer Engineering at UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering. The research was published in Carbon.

Source: University of British Columbia Okanagan campus, Media release

Hybrid Buckling-Restrained Braces (HBRBs) — Improve Earthquake Resistance of Structures

Researchers from the India Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) have developed a novel, low-cost, hybrid buckling-restrained brace (HBRB) that can provide improved protection to constructions from earthquakes. These braces have higher strength, better energy dissipation potential, and excellent ductility. 

Source: IIT Delhi, Press release

Flexible Microprobe for Neural Interfacing

Researchers at the University of California San Diego and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a tiny neural probe that is approximately one-fifth of the width of a human hair. It can be implanted for a longer duration to record and stimulate neural activity while minimising injury to the surrounding tissue. The team says that this type of neural probe would be ideal for studying small and dynamic areas of the nervous system like peripheral nerves or the spinal cord. The details are published in the journal Nature Communications.

Source: University of California San Diego, Press release

Touchless Touch Sensor

Scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced and Scientific Research (JNCASR), have developed a low-cost touch-cum-proximity sensor. They have come up with a semi-automated production plant which can be used in advanced touchless screen technologies.The touchlesstouch sensor can sense a proximal or hover touch even from a distance of 9 cm from the device. This technology helps minimise the spread of viruses that spread through contact. This work was published in the journal Materials Letters.

Source: dst.gov.in

Remote Controlled Robotic Crab

Engineers at the Northwestern University have developed a tiny robotic crab. Smaller than a flea half-millimetre widethe remote-controlled walking robot can walk, twist, turn and jump. Scientists believe that this technology helps carry out activities inside the tightly confined spaces, for example, can be used in the repairing of machines, as surgical assistants, etc.

Source: Northwestern University, News release

3D printed gloves for Rehabilitating Stroke Patients

Researchers in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have developed a soft, wearable 3D printed device that utilises the fundamental properties of light to sense a physiotherapy patient’s limb or finger movements. A silicon-based polymer material is used that can be 3D printed to fit the patient's arms and fingers. The customisable, 3D printed gloves can be remotely controlled, opening up the possibility of teleconsultation by physiotherapists. 

Source: IISc, Press release

Smart Materials for applications in Soft Robotics

Researchers from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, in collaboration with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, have developed a smart material which responds to light stimulus easily by converting light energy into thermal energy. This can help in utilising solar energy for various applications in soft robotics and Micro-electromechanical Systems (MEMS) devices. This work was published in the journal Soft Matter.

Source: PIB, Press release 

Modular Device for Extra-terrestrial Experiments

Image credit: G Sai Santosh, Project Staff, IISc

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have developed a modular, self-contained device to cultivate microorganisms. Similar to spectrophotometers used in the lab, the device uses an LED and photodiode sensor combination to track bacterial growth by measuring the optical density or scattering of light. This enables scientists to carry out biological experiments in outer space. The study is published in Acta Astronautica.

Newly Devised Sensor Can Detect Explosives Swiftly

A team of scientists from the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati have developed a thermally stable and cost-effective electronic polymer-based sensor for rapidly detecting nitro-aromatic chemicals used in high-energy explosives. The device can be operated at room temperature, has a low response time and negligible interference from other chemicals. The fabrication is simple and is negligibly affected by humidity.

Source: India Science Wire

Baby Detector Software

Researchers from the University of South Australia have developed software that can automatically detect a premature baby’s face and skin when covered in tubes, clothing, and undergoing phototherapy. It is capable of remotely monitoring a baby's vital signs from a digital camera with the same accuracy as an Electrocardiogram (ECG) machine. The results have been published in the Journal of Imaging.

Source: UniSA Media Releases 

Unique Technology for Direct Generation of Hydrogen from Agricultural Residue

A team of researchers from Agharkar Research Institute, Pune in collaboration with Sentient labs of KPIT Technologies, have developed a unique technology for direct generation of Hydrogen from agricultural residue. This innovation can promote eco-friendly hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles by overcoming the challenge of hydrogen availability.

Source: PIB, Press release

Modified Cotton Fabric — Adsorbs Harmful Air Pollutants

A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, has developed a low-cost, modified cotton fabric that is capable of adsorbing harmful pollutants from ambient air. They are Zeolite Imidazolate Framework (ZIF)-modified functionalized fabrics and called ZIF-8@CM Cotton and ZIF-67@CM Cotton. They can adsorb high levels of organic air pollutants such as aniline, styrene, and benzene from the ambient air.

Source: IIT Delhi

'NeoBolt' Indigenous Motorized Wheelchair Vehicle

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, have developed India's first indigenous motorized wheelchair vehicle named 'NeoBolt'. It is powered by a Lithium-Ion Battery that will give 25 km for every charge and can be used not only on roads but even on uneven terrains. It empowers wheelchair users with a convenient, safe and low-cost mode of outdoor mobility when compared to cars, auto-rickshaws or modified scooters.

Source: IIT Madras, Press release

‘Smart’ Shirt

Rice University graduate student Lauren Taylor shows a shirt with carbon nanotube thread that provides constant monitoring of the wearer’s heart. Photo by Jeff Fitlow

Researchers from Rice University have developed a smart shirt which is basically a nanotube fibre into athletic wear to monitor the heart rate and take a continual electrocardiogram (EKG) of the wearer. The study is reported in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters.

Source: https://news.rice.edu/2021/08/30/smart-shirt-keeps-tabs-on-the-heart-2/

Charging Room

The finished charging room, located at the University of Tokyo. 
Image credit: The University of Tokyo

Researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Tokyo have developed a system to safely deliver electricity over the air, potentially turning entire buildings into wireless charging zones. The technology can deliver 50 watts of power using magnetic fields. It wirelessly powers lamps, fans and cell phones that could draw current from anywhere in the room regardless of the placement of people and furniture. The study is published in Nature Electronics.

Source: https://news.umich.edu/charging-room-system-powers-lights-phones-laptops-without-wires/

Advanced Wound Dressing Material

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, have developed an advanced, biodegradable, non-immunogenic wound dressing material based on agarose (a natural polymer derived from seaweed agar) and by adding several additive molecules like iodine and citric acid. This dressing material will help in the treatment of infected diabetic wounds and patients suffering from chronic wounds. This indigenously developed dressing is cost-effective.

Source: PIB, Press release

New device to Reduce Frequency of Charging Electronic Gadgets

A researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, in collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS) has designed a device for high-density magnetic memory. The proposed device may help reduce frequent charging of wireless electronic devices such as mobile phones and other Internet of Things (IoT) based devices. The work was published in Physical Review applied journal.

Source: IIT Delhi, Press release

“Neuroprosthesis” Restores Words to Man with Paralysis

Researchers at UC San Francisco have successfully developed a “speech neuroprosthesis” that allows people with paralysis to communicate even if they are unable to speak on their own. The technology has enabled a man with severe paralysis to communicate in sentences, translating signals from his brain to the vocal tract directly into words that appear as text on a screen. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Source: UC San Francisco, Press release

miSHERLOCK — A test that detects COVID-19 Variants in Saliva

Scientists from Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and several Boston-area hospitals have developed an inexpensive, CRISPR-based diagnostic device, known as minimally instrumented SHERLOCK (miSHERLOCK). The device helps to detect SARS-CoV-2 and its multiple variants using a sample of saliva at home. It gives results that can be read and checked by a smartphone application within an hour. It effectively recognised three different variants of SARS-CoV-2 in tests and can be quickly reconfigured to distinguish extra variations like Delta. The description of the diagnostic device was published in Science Advances.

Source: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

"AmbiTAG"— India's First Indigenous Temperature Data Logger for Cold Chain Management

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, Punjab, has developed an IoT device called AmbiTag which records real-time ambient temperature during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines and even body organs and blood. The recorded temperature further helps to know whether an item transported from anywhere in the world is still usable or has perished because of temperature variation. This information is particularly critical for vaccines, organs and blood transportation.

Source: PIB, Press Release

PrivacyMic — Smart Home System

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a system called PrivacyMic which is a smart speaker but doesn’t record speech. “There are a lot of situations where we want our home automation system or our smart speaker to understand what’s going on in our home, but we don’t necessarily want it listening to our conversations,” says Alanson Sample, U-M associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science. “And what we’ve found is that you can have a system that understands what’s going on and a hard guarantee that it will never record any audible information.”

Source: news.umich.edu

'Cool' PPE Kits for Corona Warriors

Student innovator Nihaal Singh Adarsh from Mumbai has developed a belt-like wearable ventilation system for PPE kits called Cov-Tech. The Ventilation System takes the surrounding air, filters it and pushes it into the PPE suit. The design of the ventilation system ensures a complete air seal from the PPE kit. It provides a breeze of fresh air to the user in a gap of just 100 seconds. Cov-Tech aims to keep the health workers well-ventilated while preventing bodily discomfort and also protect them safe from various fungal infections.

Source: PIB, Press Release

Smart Windows for Automatic Climate Control of Buildings

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have developed smart window materials that can help design smart climate control systems in buildings to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. The smart window material can effectively control the amount of heat and light passing through it in response to an applied voltage. The results of their study have been published in the journal, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells.

Source: India Science Wire

Antibacterial, Self-cleaning Material for Face Masks and PPE Equipment

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, have developed a virus-filtering, self-cleaning and antibacterial material that can be used to make face masks and other PPE equipment. The researchers have developed prototypes of a 4-layered face mask using the MoS₂ modified fabric. They report that these masks, in addition to killing microbesand being light-cleanable, can also filter >96% of particles that are in the size range of the COVID Virus (120 nm), without compromising on the breathability of the fabric, and could thus be a powerful tool to prevent the spread of coronavirus and other microbial infections.Results of this work were published in the American Chemical Society – Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Source: IIT Mandi, Press Release

Electronic Nose with Biodegradable Polymer & Monomer

Scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bangalore, in collaboration with their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, have developed an exceptionally sensitive and selective H2S Gas sensor by impersonating the neuron responsible for the identification of airborne molecules or Olfactory Receptor Neuron (ORN).It also has high ambient stability of around 8 months without compromising sensing performance. The study was published in the journals Materials Horizon and Advanced Electronic Materials.

Source: PIB, Press Release

NanoSniffer: A Microsensor based Explosive Trace Detector

NanoSniff Technologies, an IIT Bombay incubated startup developed NanoSniffer — Microsensorbased Explosive Trace Detector (ETD). It provides trace detection of nano-gram quantity of explosives & delivers result in less than 10 seconds. It can accurately detect a wide range of military, commercial and homemade explosives threats. It also gives visible & audible alerts with sunlight-readable colour display. Further analysis of the algorithms also helps in the categorisation of explosives into the appropriate class. With local manufacturing, including its MEMS sensor, it will save a lot of import cost for the country.

Source: PIB, Press Release

Sweat based non-invasive Device

A team of researchers led by an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, has carried out a study and developed a device that can generate sweat at resting and detect markers and transmit through a mobile phone. This sweat based non-invasive point of health diagnosis technology would be an alternative to blood-based invasive diagnosis. This study has been published in Advanced Material Technologies Journals.

Source: India Science Wire

High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMTs)

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IISc), have developed a device made from Gallium Nitride (GaN), a highly reliable, High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMTs) that is a normally OFF device and can switch currents up to 4A and operates at 600V. This device is useful in locomotives, electric cars, power transmission and other areas requiring high voltage and high-frequency switching and would reduce the cost of importing such stable and efficient transistors required in power electronics. Such transistors are called enhancement mode or e-mode transistors.

Source: PIB, Press release

Multifunctional Heat Sink

Scientists from IIT Bombay with support from the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India under the ‘Make in India’ initiative have developed a multifunctional heat sink enabled by 3D printing technology in combination with electroplating, which can dissipate heat from mechanical devices at 50 per cent enhanced rate compared to conventional sinks. It can be used to develop heat exchangers, heat pipes, vapour chambers and noise reducing heat sinks. It can also be used in the electronics cooling, electronics as well as power or cooling industry.

Source: PIB, Press release

Electric Scooter ‘Hope’

Gelios Mobility, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi incubated start-up has launched an electric scooter called 'Hope' having running cost of around 20 paisa per kilometre. This electric scooter is well-suited for last-mile delivery and personal travelling. It comes with a portable charger and a portable Li-ion battery that can be easily charged through a domestic socket found in households thereby eliminating the requirement of a charger in the parking area. The battery can be fully charged in four hours with a nominal current. The vehicle is integrated with a battery management system, data monitoring system and pedal-assist unit developed in-house. It is IOT enabled for data analytics and fleet management applications.

Source: India Science Wire

Giga Mesh

Giga Mesh deployed at the Indian Institute of Science campus for connectivity trials

A women-led startup, Astrome, has developed an innovative wireless product called Giga Mesh. It provides fibre-like bandwidth at a fraction of the cost of fibre to help telecom operators deliver reliable low-cost internet services to suburban and rural areas. It could enable telecom operators deploy quality, high-speed rural telecom infrastructure at five times lower cost.

Source: PIB, Press release

PhonoGraft — Biomimetic Device

A team of scientists at Wyss Institute along with ENT clinicians at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear in Boston has developed an easy-to-use, biomimetic device called PhonoGraft – a biomimetic membrane that recapitulates the structure and functioning of normal human eardrum. It enables better hearing ability and the regeneration of perforated eardrum after injury. These grafts are manufactured from biodegradable elastomers in the form of biomimetic circular and radial scaffolds to accommodate different ear sizes. The study was published in Hearing Research.

Source: https://wyss.harvard.edu/

Perovskite Solar Modules

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), Japan, have developed perovskite solar modules with improved stability and efficiency by using a new fabrication technique that reduces defects. The study was published in Advanced Energy Materials.

Source: OIST, Press release

Wearable Device Turning Body into a Battery

A thermoelectric wearable device worn as a ring (Image Credit: Xiao Lab)

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, US, have developed a new, economical wearable device that transforms the human body into a biological battery. It's a stretchable device that can be worn like an accessory, ring or bracelet touching ones skin. The device is capable of converting a person’s internal temperature into electricity which could be enough to power gadgets like watches and fitness trackers. The research was published in the Journal of Science Advances.

Source: www.colorado.edu

Sticky mat

Scientists from the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, have developed a sticky mat that takes away dust from a contacting surface, ensuring a clean, hygienic, healthy, and refreshing atmosphere at homes, offices, hospitals, and laboratories as also smooth functioning of many expensive equipments. The nanoscopic pyramidal bump present on the surface of the adhesive attracts dust particles towards it thereby cleaning the sole of our shoes when we step on it. When the adhesive gets completely covered with particulate matter, it is washed in a way that we wash our clothes and the surface gets back its ability to stick and remains usable through hundreds of such cycles.

Biodegradable Plastic

The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, has developed a bio-plastic film using marine seaweed and PEG-3000 which could have a huge impact on limiting the usage of non-biodegradable plastics and a game-changer in the plastic industry. Bio-plastic films safely breakdown in the environment without leaving any toxicity. The physical and mechanical properties of bio-plastic film meet the properties of conventional plastics.

Source: India Science Wire

Biosensors to Detect Coronavirus Proteins and Antibodies

Scientists at the Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, have developed protein-based biosensors that can detect the virus that causes COVID-19, and also antibodies against it. The sensors glow when mixed with components of the virus or specific antibodies. This advancement could lead to quick and more widespread testing in future. “These protein-based devices can recognize either a target protein from the virus or antibodies, bind to them, then emit light through a biochemical luciferase reaction,” noted a release by the institute. The study was published in Nature.

Source: ipd.uw.edu

UAV-assisted 5G Infrastructure

Researchers from G S Sanyal School of Telecommunication at IIT Kharagpur have developed UAV-assisted communication infrastructure for 5G which can serve as an air-borne mobile telecom tower during emergencies. The developed system comprises an Android-based application fitted to a fleet of drones which are programmed to create emergency communication networks by extending cellular network coverage from the closest available mobile towers. 

Source: kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in

LakshmanRekha — AI-driven Home Quarantine Management Application for COVID Patients

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi have developed LakshmanRekha, an Artificial Intelligence — biometric-driven Home Quarantine Management Application (HQMA) for COVID patients. The developed application uses a combination of biometric verification, geofencing, and artificial intelligence, to continuously monitor and accurately detect the identity of a home quarantined person. In addition to the quarantine management, this application can also serve as an unbreachable mobile phone platform for normal (non-COVID) mobile users, situations like under curfew, or any national emergency, for identifying the violators or lawbreakers.

Source: IIT Mandi, Press Release

World’s Fastest Optical Neuromorphic Processor

Dr Xingyuan (Mike) Xu with the integrated optical micro comb chip, which forms the core part of the optical neuromorphic processor

A team of researchers led by Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, has demonstrated the world’s fastest and most powerful optical neuromorphic processor for Artificial Intelligence (AI). The neuromorphic processor operates faster than 10 trillion operations per second (TeraOPs/s) and is capable of processing ultra-large-scale data. The study was published in the journal Nature.

Source: www.swinburne.edu.au

A New Device to Measure Evaporation

Evaporimeter tested in the lab (Credits: Aditya, Arjun, Anush, and Navneet)

A team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has developed a new device that could measure the rate of evaporation of a local area within a couple of minutes. The device is a more efficient and inexpensive way to measure evaporation when compared with existing methods.

                 “Our method allows you to get a much more realistic measure of transpiration from plants and evaporation from soils,” says Jaywant H Arakeri, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IISc, and senior author of the study recently published in the Journal of Hydrology.

Source: Press Release, IISc

A Laser Steering Device

Robotic engineers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School for Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) have developed a laser-steering microrobot for robot-assisted surgeries. The developed device is in a miniaturized 6×16 millimetre package that operates with high speed and precision and can be integrated with existing endoscopic tools. Their approach, reported in Science Robotics, could help significantly enhance the capabilities of numerous minimally invasive surgeries.

Source: Press Release Wyss Institute

Antimicrobial Water Storage Containers ‘AqCure’

Based on inherent antimicrobial properties of copper, IIT Delhi-incubated startup Nanosafe Solutions has developed a range of antimicrobial (antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal) water storage containers and launched it as "AqCure" which is a patented technology. In AqCure active nano-copper is released from a polymer framework. The delivered copper makes the external and internal surface of the compartment antimicrobial, lessening transmission of microorganisms upon direct contact, and making the stored water microbiologically protected.

Source: https://home.iitd.ac.in/press-antim.php

IIT Delhi Startups Launch Antiviral Protection Kit

Two IIT Delhi incubated start-ups, E-TEX and Clensta, have teamed up and launched a complete antiviral protection kit at an affordable price. The antiviral kit, unveiled by Prof V. Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi, consists of a novel Clensta protection lotion and hand sanitiser; E-TEX Kawach Antiviral T-Shirt and Kawach Mask. The products are backed up by experts from the chemical and textile departments of IIT Delhi.

https://home.iitd.ac.in/startup-etex.php

IIT Kharagpur Rolls Out Telemedicine Technology For Home Care

Researchers at IIT Kharagpur’s Department of Computer Science & Engineering have developed a telemedicine system, iMediX. The system integrates homecare with healthcare services from the hospital. The system facilitates critical health care support to patients at their doorsteps through remote consultation by a physician. The system is accessible by any standard internet browser and also from a mobile device. The patient can also download the prescription from her account.

https://kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in/iit-kgp-develops-telemedicine-for-home-care/

CRISPR-based Malaria Testing on-the-fly

A multi-disciplinary research collaboration led by Wyss Core Faculty member James Collins at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and assembled by clinical fellow Rose Lee has created a field-applicable, ultrasensitive diagnostic assay that specifically detects DNA sequences from all Plasmodium species in symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria. The new malaria diagnostic method combines an optimized 10-minute rapid sample preparation protocol with the CRISPR-based SHERLOCK system to enable highly specific and sensitive Plasmodium detection in 60 minutes in simple reporter devices. It is published in PNAS.

https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/crispr-based-malaria-testing-on-the-fly/

Indigenous Device can help Prevent Blood Clot in Deep Vein

The formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the legs or Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), can lead to life threatening complications. Scientists have come up with a device that can facilitate flow of blood from the veins in the legs thus preventing DVT.

The device developed by the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum (SCTIMST), can bring relief to patients affected by prolonged immobility, bedridden state, post-operative immobilization, paralysis of legs, a large number of whom are affected by DVT causing pain, swelling, redness, warmth and engorged surface veins. The detachment of the clot and its transport to the arteries carrying impure blood to the lungs can cause ‘pulmonary artery embolism’, a potentially life-threatening complication.

PIB Press Release

AI and IoT based Diagnostic Device for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases developed by IIT Kharagpur

Researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed an affordable diagnostic intervention for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease based on the internet-of-things medical devices (IoT-MD) integrated with AI.

At the Organic Electronics Laboratory (ORELA), Department of Physics, IIT Kharagpur, Prof. Dipak Kumar Goswami and his research team have developed SenFlex.T, a smart mask synced with an android monitoring app through Bluetooth that can continuously monitor breathing patterns, rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation level in blood. The app is connected to a cloud computing server, where artificial intelligence (AI) has been implemented to predict the severity of COPD through Machine Learning (ML).

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b19051

‘Harit Path’ Application Launched by NHAI

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the "Harit Path" mobile application, developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The app is designed to monitor and observe location, growth, species details, along with the maintenance activities, targets and achievements of each of the field units of NHAI for all plant under its plantation projects. The application will also facilitate the tracking of growth and health of the plants. The photographs of the plants captured by the app along with the relevant data of the plants will be uploaded every three months on NHAI’s AI-powered platform – Data Lake. Subsequent to launch of the app, NHAI has swiftly started working and has created user ids of over 150 ROs/PDs/Horticulture experts and about 7800 plants have been geo-tagged. 

Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1647625

Painless Drug Delivery and Vaccination Device

Department of Electronics & Electrical Communication Engineering at IIT Kharagpur has developed a painless transdermal controlled drug delivery and vaccination device. The researchers have developed a micropump and microneedle which are integral parts of transdermal drug delivery systems and can administer large and viscous drug molecules painlessly. The innovation will further enable the transdermal application of COVID-19 vaccine. Says lead researcher Prof. Tarun Kanti Bhattacharyya, “We have fabricated high strength glassy carbon microneedles which can withstand the skin resistive forces. Added to this is our designing of the ionic polymer-metal composite membrane based micropump which increases the flow rate of the drug molecules in a controlled and precise manner. We have further integrated this microneedle and micropump to achieve controlled drug delivery.”

Source: https://kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in/

Scientists Develop Artificial Electronic Skin

Scientists of RMIT have created electronic artificial skin.  It reacts to pain in a similar way to real skin. This prototype opens the way for enhanced prosthetics, smarter robotics and non-invasive alternatives to skin grafts. The device works by mimicking the body’s near-instant feedback response. It reacts to painful sensations with lightning speed similar to nerve signals that travel to the brain. According to RMIT, Lead researcher Professor Madhu Bhaskaran, “It’s a critical step forward in the future development of the sophisticated feedback systems that we need to deliver truly smart prosthetics and intelligent robotics.” The research team has also developed pressure and temperature sensing devices with stretchable electronics. The related research is published in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems.

Source: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2020/sep/electronic-skin

EnglishPro app Launched by Union Education Minister

Union Minister of Education Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal launched a mobile application ‘EnglishPro’ developed by the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad. It is a free learning app suitable for learning English pronunciation. It is developed under USR (University Social Responsibility) initiative of EFL University and can be used by any person who has studied English as a curricular subject in five years of school education. The application teaches the user about general English pronunciation in the unique Bharatiya way – as it allows the organic transitioning of beginner-level English users from their mother tongue to English. It relates English sounds with related sounds in Indian languages. It also promotes the use of Standard Indian English.

Source: https://www.efluniversity.ac.in/EnglishPro.php

A New Device — Error-correcting Cat

Physicists at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, have developed a new device called an error-correcting cat. This newly developed device combines the Schrödinger’s cat concept of superposition capable of fixing the fiddliest errors in quantum computation. The device can correct an array of errors that come up among fragile bits of quantum information, called qubits while performing a task. The study appears in the journal Nature. 

Source: https://news.yale.edu/

Wearable Sweat Sensor

Researchers from Brazil have created a wearable sweat sensor which is a skin-adherent biosensor based on pure nanocellulose fibre substrate. The natural polymer offers a breathable interface with the skin and permits sweat to travel through for further electrochemical analysis with the help of printed electrodes. It can measure a range of metabolites and biomarkers present in sweat and monitor problems like diabetes. This wearable sensor overcomes various drawbacks caused by plastic sensors including sweat to build up, irritation etc. It can measure various biomarkers like glucose, lactic acid, potassium, and sodium. The related study is published in the journal Talanta.

Source: medgadget.com

Air Unique-quality Monitoring (AUM)

With support from Department of Science and Technology’s Clean Air Research Initiative, Prof. Rao Tatavarti, Director of Gayatri Vidya Parishad-Scientific and Industrial Research Centre (GVP-SIRC) & GVP College of Engineering, Visakhapatnam, has developed an indigenous photonic system for real-time remote monitoring of air quality parameters. The AUM system (patent pending) is an innovative application of the principles of laser backscattering, statistical mechanics, optoelectronics, artificial intelligence, machine/deep learning, and Internet of Things. It can identify, classify, and quantify various pollutants simultaneously (of orders of less than one part per billion) and meteorological parameters, with very high precision, sensitivity and accuracy.

Source: https://dst.gov.in/

Colonoscopy-like Bacteria Grabber

Purdue University researchers have built a way to swallow a tool that acts like a colonoscopy, except that instead of looking at the colon with a camera, the technology takes samples of bacteria. The tool is a drug-like capsule that passively weasels through the gut without needing a battery. The technology could also move throughout the whole GI tract, not just the colon. This tract, in addition to the colon, includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine and rectum. Essentially, this tool would make it possible to conduct a “gut-oscopy.” An initial demonstration of the prototype is published in RSC Advances, a journal by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Source: https://www.purdue.edu/

Smartwatch Tracks Medication Levels

Researchers of UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, Los Angeles, California along with Stanford School of Medicine have developed a smartwatch that can trace drug levels inside the body. The smartwatch analyses the chemicals present in sweat. This wearable technology can be used to design an ideal drug and decide its dosages as per the requirements of an individual. According to the researchers, existing efforts to personalize the drug dosage rely profoundly on repeated blood draws at the hospital. These solutions are inconvenient, time-consuming, invasive and expensive. The related research is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Source: https://samueli.ucla.edu/

Timekettle M2: Real-time Offline Translation Earbuds

Timekettle, a tech startup in US, has come up with the world’s first real-time offline translation earbuds which can translate up to 93 languages and accents without network restrictions between English and 6 other languages. The earbuds are versatile and easy to use.

Source: Indiegogo
 

"Unlock Me" — COVID-19 Game

‘Unlock Me’ is a game developed by B Tech student Shreyansh Anchlia along with ideation from faculty members of the Munjal University (BMU) to help spread awareness about COVID-19. It is available on all Android phones, running Version 4.4 and above. The application is secure as it does not demand any personal information to start. The game plays out as an imitation of real-life risks associated with COVID-19, like players getting infected by coming in the vicinity of coronavirus infected places and people. In the game, players need to make the right choices and be cautious of various risks as they proceed further in the game.

Source: digital.in (Press Release)

DocStack App by IIT Delhi

IIT Delhi has developed “DocStack” which is a new document scanning and organising App. The App description on App store reads, “It not only lets you take pro-quality scans on the go, but the universal search feature lets you find them easily when you need them the most. Be it your bills, visiting cards, medical records, credit card bills, ID proofs, down to your grocery bills! Anything for which you wish to save a digital copy, DocStack lets you store it in an organised way. This helps you prevent the clutter of documents that you have been saving in your photo library instead of the photos of your loved ones.”

Source: apps.apple.com
 

Advanced Weather Prediction System

IIT Kharagpur has developed an advanced weather prediction system to facilitate better decision making in agricultural production and reduction of climatic uncertainties and risks. Sponsored by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the two projects ‘Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa’ ‘and ‘Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agrometeorology & Land-based observations’ provide timely and right management decisions to farmers to minimize the climatic risk of agricultural production and improve the economic return of farming community.

Source: kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in

AI-based Cyber-physical System

To monitor social distancing in public places, researchers at IIT Kharagpur’s Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV) under the Centre of Excellence for Robotics Research have developed a low-cost Artificial Intelligence-based cyber-physical system. The device will give a proximity alert whenever there is a violation of social distancing norms. The device can visually detect the gap between individuals and play a proximity alert sound through audio output, for any violation of the social distancing norms. The device uses images in the field view of a camera and computes the distance as per criterion set by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

CAVILITY — A Transparent Mask

Designers coordinated by French engineer Pierre Blondon have designed and developed the stylish high-security Cavility Mask with features including  Thermo-Plastic Elastomer (TPE). It suits any type of face giving you optimal airtight, high-performance filters, replaceable filters, etc. It is easy to clean and cost-saving too.

Removable Surgical Tape

MIT engineers last year came up with a double-sided adhesive capable of quickly and firmly sticking to wet surfaces such as biological tissues. Now they have further developed their adhesive so that it can be detached from the underlying tissue without causing any damage. As mentioned in MIT News, “This is like a painless Band-Aid for internal organs,” says Xuanhe Zhao, professor of mechanical engineering and civil and environmental engineering at MIT. “You put the adhesive on, and if for any reason you want to take it off, you can do so on-demand, without pain”.

AI-powered Mobile App — National Test Abhyas

Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has launched a new mobile application called the ‘National Test Abhyas'. It is developed by NTA to enable candidates to take mock tests for upcoming exams such as JEE Main, NEET under the NTA’s purview. The app will facilitate candidates to access high-quality mock tests in the safety and comfort of their homes. Students from the entire country can use the application to access high-quality tests, free of cost. The tests can be downloaded easily and can be completed off-line too. The app works on Android-based smartphones and tablets and can be easily downloaded from Google Play Store.

Source: PIB

Washable Textile Coating

Research from the LAMP Lab at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering has created a textile coating which is capable of preventing viruses from adhering to the surface. The work was recently published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. “If the treated fabric would repel betacoronaviruses, and in particular SARS-CoV-2, this could have a huge impact for healthcare workers and even the general public if PPE, scrubs, or even clothing could be made from protein, blood-, bacteria-, and virus-repelling fabrics,” said Romanowski, Research Director, Charles T. Campbell Microbiology Laboratory.

Source: https://www.pitt.edu/

Published in SR July 2020

Health Ministry Launches Aarogya Setu IVRS Facility

Health Ministry has launched the Aarogya Setu IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) facility for those without smartphones. The 'Aarogya Setu IVRS' has been implemented to include citizens with feature phones and landline connections. It is a toll-free service, available throughout the country. To avail its service a person can give a missed call on the number '1921' and get a call back requesting for inputs regarding the caller’s health. The questions asked will be aligned with the Aarogya Setu App, and based on the responses given, the individual will also get an SMS. The SMS will indicate the health status of the person and also provide alerts for improving health. The service is toll-free and is implemented in 11 regional languages similar to the mobile application.

Source: PIB

AI Powered Flexible Throat Sensor to Track COVID-19

Flexible throat sensor 

Researchers at Northwestern University and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have developed a novel wearable device and are also creating a set of data algorithms specifically designed to identify early signs and symptoms related to COVID-19 and to screen patients as the illness advances. The device can be worn 24x7 and produces a continuous stream of data. It uses artificial intelligence to reveal subtle, yet potentially life-saving, insights. It continuously measures and interprets coughing and respiratory activity in ways that are not possible with conventional monitoring systems. The devices are presently being used in a study at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab by COVID-19 patients and the healthcare workers treating them.

Source: https://news.northwestern.edu/

Affordable and Effective Face Mask — KAWACH

The IIT Delhi start-up, ETEX has launched an affordable and effective face mask namely KAWACH to protect and safeguard people from the risk of COVID-19. Prof. Bipin Kumar, Textile and Fiber Engineering Dept., IIT Delhi said, “India has several massive challenges ahead – disposal of PPEs (including mask and coveralls) after one-time use and ensuring the minimum use of nonwoven technology for making PPEs. Though a nonwoven layer is must for ensuring the desired filtration level but the loose fibrous structure makes the product disposable after one use. Disposing of synthetic polypropylene nonwoven could have a detrimental effect on the environment. Finding other textile solutions that offer reusability, biodegradability, affordability and scalability for PPEs is the need of the hour; this could ensure meeting both the demand and also safeguarding our environment.” 

Source: iitd.ac.in

Electronic Skin — Human-machine Interface

Wei Gao, assistant professor at Caltech’s Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, has developed an electronic skin, or e-skin, which can be applied directly on top of the real skin. The newly developed e-skin which is made from soft, flexible rubber, can be embedded with sensors. These sensors can monitor information like body temperature, heart rate, levels of blood sugar and metabolic byproducts that are indicators of health, and even the nerve signals that control our muscles. It does not require a battery, as it runs solely on biofuel cells powered by one of the body's own waste products.

        According to Gao, “One of the major challenges with these kinds of wearable devices is on the power side. Many people are using batteries, but that's not very sustainable. Some people have tried using solar cells or harvesting the power of human motion, but we wanted to know, 'Can we get sufficient energy from sweat to power the wearables?' and the answer is yes.”

Source: https://www.caltech.edu/

Published in SR June 2020 issue

GOKADDAL —World’s First-ever Digital Solutions Exchange Cloud

GOKADDAL, the world’s first Digital Solutions Exchange in Cloud, was launched in India. gokaddal.com is a cloud-based solution exchange platform. It mainly emphasises on 4A’s – Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Analytics and Augmentative Technologies. It is a Business to Business (B2B), Business to Government (B2G), Business to Consumer (B2C) solution platform connecting solution providers to solution seekers. It is also an innovative platform for Startups and SME companies. It seeks to facilitate how digital solutions are sourced, delivered and managed. Gokkadal Technologies is a Dubai based emerging Technology company and is a part of the Mekado Group at Bangalore, Karnataka.

Source: https://gokaddal.com/

Apple Unveils COVID-19 Information App and Website

Apple has also launched a website and a new application devoted to the screening of COVID-19. The resources provide an online screening tool, information regarding the disease, and also provides guidance suggesting when to seek testing or emergency care. The site and the application are developed by Apple in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the White House. The app is available for download on the App Store.

Source: https://www.apple.com/covid19/

GOI Launches Aarogya Setu App

Aarogya Setu is a mobile application developed by the Government of India to link essential health services with the people of India to fight against COVID-19. The App is intended at enhancing the initiatives of the Government of India, mainly the Department of Health, in actively reaching out to and informing the users of the app regarding various risks, best practices and relevant advisories relating to the control of COVID-19. The application tracks through a bluetooth and location generated social graph, it notifies the user about closeness with a COVID-19 positive individual. The app alerts are accompanied by instructions on how to self-isolate and what to do in case if someone has developed symptoms. The app has various advisories on how to maintain social distancing, and various recommendations to stay safe. It also indicates the level of risk regarding infection.

Source: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nic.goi.aarogyasetu

Rocketbook Notepad Orbit

Legal pads are often considered unfashionable, unorganised and un-eco-friendly. Rocketbook Orbit is a reusable, stylish, cloud-connected and eco friendly notepad. It is customisable, modular, and also connects with your favourite cloud services. It also uses customised “Page Packs” which can easily be removed from the pad. The novel technology uses a magnetic base and has stainless steel rings attached to every pack of Rocketbook pages that can be lifted off the Orbit, flipped 360 degrees, and changed out for a brand new mission.

Source:https://www.kickstarter.com

Published in SR May 2020 issue

Wearable Coils for Medical Testing

Researchers from Purdue University have created a novel way of doing medical imaging using technology involved in defence and aerospace industries. Medical imaging tests like MRI are often uncomfortable as they use rigid Radio-frequency (RF) coils to detect signals from the body. Purdue's team has developed RF coils that are formable and stretchable. They have created an adaptable, wearable and stretchable fabric embroidered with conductive threads which provide excellent signal-to-noise ratio which facilitates enhanced MRI scanning. The team’s work is published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

Source: https://www.purdue.edu 

Simplify your Diabetes Care Plan with InPen

InPen consists of a reusable injector pen and an instinctive smartphone interface. InPen is an insulin injector pen which is easy-to-use and facilitates the user to calculate their insulin doses. When the pen is paired via Bluetooth with the mobile app, the InPen's delivery system keeps a track of doses the patient has taken. InPen was designed for insulin-dependent individuals and elderly people who undergo regular numerous subcutaneous injections. It also allows the user to correct the dosage of insulin without wasting it. It lasts for one year and it does not need any recharge. The app uses information transmitted by the pen to track insulin therapy, calculate dose and can also share therapy data with the patient's doctor or family.

Source: https://www.companionmedical.com

PM KISAN Mobile App

PM-KISAN Mobile App was launched to widen the reach of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme which may help in doubling the farmers’ income. With this App, farmers can view the status of their application, update or carry out corrections of their Aadhaar cards. They can also check the history of credits to their respective bank accounts, know about the scheme and dial helpline numbers. Around 14 crore beneficiaries are to be covered under the PM Kisan scheme. The PM-KISAN application is designed and developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.

Source: https://www.pib.gov.in

Smart Insulin-delivery Patch

Researchers from the University of California Los Angeles, University of North Carolina, and MIT have designed a smart insulin-delivery wearable patch which could automatically regulate and monitor glucose level in diabetics by delivering the required insulin dose.

        The stick-on device is about the size of a U.S. quarter coin and has tiny needles preloaded with insulin, which are less than a millimetre in length and made out of a polymer that’s sensitive to glucose. The technology is cheap to manufacture and one day people with diabetes will hopefully be able to put on one of these patches in the morning without worrying about the glucose levels throughout the day.

Source: http://news.unchealthcare.org/

Published in SR April 2020 issue

HUNU — A Reusable Coffee Cup

HUNU is a beautifully designed and easy-to-carry reusable coffee cup which is incredibly light weighing less than 100 g and measures less than 0.75 inches thin when folded down. Because of collapsible design HUNU can easily be fitted in the pocket. All materials used in designing are BPA-free and fully non-toxic.

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/

Wearable AC — On-skin Electronic Device

Engineers from the University of Missouri have developed an on-skin device called “Wearable air conditioning” having the ability to monitor blood pressure, the electrical activity of the heart and the level of skin hydration. 

        The device is breathable and waterproof and delivers personal air conditioning to a human body by the process of passive cooling. The cooling does not utilise electricity, such as a fan or pump avoiding any discomfort to the user. Presently, the device is a small wired patch, and researchers suggest that after two years they'll be able to design a wireless version. The findings of the work were published in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Source: https://news.missouri.edu/2020/wearable-ac/

AppStreamer — A New Software to Stream Data

A team led by Indian-origin researcher Saurabh Bagchi who is a professor at Purdue University, US, has developed an AppStreamer which is a software capable of streaming the data and reducing the space occupied by apps on a smartphone. Without deleting the already existing apps, the software enables the users to continue downloading the apps they desire. The software helps in streaming the data to an app from a cloud server when required which means the app will occupy only the space it needs on a mobile at any given time. 5G connectivity can better be accommodated by using AppStreamer. 

Source: https://www.purdue.edu

Self-moisturising Smart Contact Lenses

Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a novel kind of smart contact lenses which are self-moisturising preventing eyes from dryness. The self moisturising system maintains a layer of fluid between the contact lens and the eye.

        The common problem with contact lenses is that they often cause "dry eye syndrome" due to less blinking and increased moisture evaporation. In order to tackle this problem, the researchers have developed a novel mechanism to keep the lens moist. The system uses Electro-osmotic Flow (EOF), which allows liquid to flow when a voltage is applied across a charged surface. The research is published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies.

Source: http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/

Published in SR March 2020 issue

Edible “Security Tags” Protecting Drugs from Duplicacy

Purdue University researchers have designed an edible “security tag” to tackle the problem of counterfeiting of drugs. The security tag can be embedded in medicine. To copy the drug, a counterfeiter would have to solve a complicated puzzle of patterns not completely visible to the naked eye.

        The tag serves as a digital fingerprint for a drug capsule or tablet. It uses a verification technique called “physical unclonable functions,” or PUF. PUFs generate a different response once stimulated, rendering them unpredictable and very difficult to imitate. It is the first edible PUF – a thin, transparent film made up of silk proteins and fluorescent proteins which are fused genetically. As the tag is easily digestible and made entirely of proteins, it can be consumed as part of a pill or tablet. The research has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Source: purdue.edu

Perfusion Machine to Keep Liver Alive

Researchers at the University Hospital Zurich, ETH Zurich, Wyss Zurich and the University of Zurich have developed a machine that repairs injured human livers and keeps them alive outside the body for one week. This invention will increase the availability of organs for transplantation, saving the lives of many patients with severe liver diseases.
        Till date, livers could be stored safely outside the body for only a few hours. However, with the new perfusion technology, livers even the injured ones, can now be kept alive outside the body for a week. The basis of this technology is a complex perfusion system that mimics core body functions. The related study was published in the Journal Nature Biotechnology.

Source: Press Release (University of Zurich)

GoFindMe — Track your Loved Ones

GoFindMe is a real-time GPS tracker that can track even without cell service. The device can locate the loved ones more easily as it has built-in GPS and long-range radio technology, etc. The features of the device help you to stay in touch with your loved ones even if your cellphone fails. This provides an all-round tracking and communication solution for all outdoor activities.

Source: https://www.aiblue.com/

Yoto Player — a Smart Speaker for Kids

Yoto player is a screen-free smart speaker designed for kids by Pentagram. The smart speaker is controlled by physical cards helping parents to control their kids by making them listen to what they want them to listen. The device has been equipped with a built-in battery for portable play and a clever magnetic dock to re-charge. In the smart speaker, parents can easily upload the desired content to the blank cards by using a parent app enabling them to manage settings behind the scenes.

Source: https://www.yotoplay.com/