How do smasher mantis shrimp avoid self-inflicted harm from their devastating strikes? A new Northwestern University study reveals that the secret may lie in patterned armor that acts as a sound filter, selectively blocking damaging shockwaves generated by their own powerful punches. The study details how the shrimp’s armor—featuring grooves and twisted fiber bundles—selectively filters…
Researchers develop first wearable for continuous monitoring of body sounds
Northwestern University researchers have developed wearable devices for continuously monitoring the sounds made by a patient’s body, such as breathing, heartbeats and digestion. The soft devices stick to a patient’s skin and use two high-performance, digital microphones to listen to sounds inside and outside the body. One of the microphones faces inside the patient, while…
Engineers at Northwestern develop electronic bandage that accelerates healing
Northwestern University engineering researchers say they developed a first-of-its-kind small, flexible, stretchable electronic bandage. This bandage accelerates healing by delivering electrotherapy directly to the wound site. It also actively monitors the healing process and harmlessly dissolves — with its electrodes — into the body once no longer needed. The Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering researchers…
Researchers use microelectronics to develop remote control for ‘biobots’
Researchers at collaborating universities in Illinois developed miniature biological robots with remote control capabilities. The hybrid “eBiobots” combine soft materials, living muscle and microelectronics. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University and collaborating institutions developed them. In a post on the University of Illinois website, they described them as centimeter-scale biological machines. They…