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Category: wearables – Page 18

A new material for small electronics that gives batteries longer life

Scientists have achieved a series of milestones in growing a high-quality thin film conductor, suggesting in a new study that the material is a promising candidate platform for future wearable electronics and other miniature applications.

Researchers at The Ohio State University, the Army Research Laboratory and MIT determined that the material is the best among similarly built films for its electron mobility—an index of how easy it is for an electrical current to pass through it.

Coupled with low defect density to reduce interference with electron movement on the surface, the material is like a tiny empty freeway where all the electrons can easily get where they need to go with no traffic to be seen.

Elastic Horizons: The Science Behind 5000% Stretchable Lithium-Ion Batteries

A newly developed stretchable lithium-ion battery retains efficient charge storage after 70 cycles and expands up to 5000%. This innovation caters to the growing demand for batteries in wearable electronics, ensuring flexibility and durability.

When you think of a battery, you probably don’t think of something stretchy. However, batteries will need this shape-shifting quality to be incorporated into flexible electronics, which are gaining traction for wearable health monitors. Now, researchers in ACS Energy Letters report a lithium-ion battery with entirely stretchable components, including an electrolyte layer that can expand by 5000%, and it retains its charge storage capacity after nearly 70 charge/discharge cycles.

Advancements in Flexible Electronics.

First health care device powered by body heat made possible by liquid based metals

In the age of technology everywhere, we are all too familiar with the inconvenience of a dead battery. But for those relying on a wearable health care device to monitor glucose, reduce tremors, or even track heart function, taking time to recharge can pose a big risk.

For the first time, researchers in Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering have shown that a health care device can be powered using alone. By combining a pulse oximetry sensor with a flexible, stretchable, wearable thermoelectric energy generator composed of , semiconductors, and 3D printed rubber, the team has introduced a promising way to address battery life concerns.

“This is the first step towards battery-free wearable electronics,” said Mason Zadan, Ph.D. candidate and first author of the research published in Advanced Functional Materials.

Invisible Shield: Wearable Air Curtain Blocks 99.8% of Aerosol Viruses

Headworn tech from a University of Michigan startup could protect agricultural and industrial workers from airborne pathogens.

Taza Aya has created a hard hat with an air curtain that prevents nearly all aerosols from reaching the face, using nonthermal plasma to ensure air purity. Proven effective in tests, this innovative device is designed for industries needing strong respiratory protection and will be available by 2025.

Taza Aya’s Innovative Technology

Novel 3D stretchable electronic strip could spark new possibilities for wearable e-textiles

Researchers have developed a novel 3D stretchable electronic strip which is expected to open up a range of new possibilities in wearable electronic textiles.

A team at Nottingham Trent University’s Medical Technologies Innovation Facility has led the work, which has paved the way for a new generation of electronic devices which could be embedded in clothing for possible use in health care and elite sports settings.

The research, which also involved industry partner Kymira Ltd, is published in Scientific Reports.

Could we recycle plastic bags into fabrics of the future?

The only problem with plastic profusion is that “recycling” it is at a “caveman’s” level!

In considering materials that could become the fabrics of the future, scientists have largely dismissed one widely available option: polyethylene.

The stuff of plastic wrap and grocery bags, polyethylene is thin and lightweight, and could keep you cooler than most textiles because it lets heat through rather than trapping it in. But polyethylene would also lock in water and sweat, as it’s unable to draw away and evaporate moisture. This antiwicking property has been a major deterrent to polyethylene’s adoption as a wearable .

Now, MIT engineers have spun polyethylene into fibers and yarns designed to wick away moisture. They wove the yarns into silky, lightweight fabrics that absorb and evaporate water more quickly than common textiles such as cotton, nylon, and polyester.

Affordable and sensitive nanofiber piezoelectric sensors for human and robot motion monitoring

Flexible piezoelectric sensors are essential to monitor the motions of both humans and humanoid robots. However, existing designs are either are costly or have limited sensitivity. In a recent study, researchers from Japan tackled these issues by developing a novel piezoelectric composite material made from electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers combined with dopamine. Sensors made from this material showed significant performance and stability improvements at a low cost, promising advancements in medicine, healthcare, and robotics.

The world is accelerating rapidly towards the intelligent era—a stage in history marked by increased automation and interconnectivity by leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics. As a sometimes-overlooked foundational requirement in this transformation, sensors represent an essential interface between humans, machines, and their environment.

However, now that robots are becoming more agile and wearable electronics are no longer confined to science fiction, traditional silicon-based sensors won’t make the cut in many applications. Thus, flexible sensors, which provide better comfort and higher versatility, have become a very active area of study. Piezoelectric sensors are particularly important in this regard, as they can convert mechanical stress and stretching into an electrical signal. Despite numerous promising approaches, there remains a lack of environmentally sustainable methods for mass-producing flexible, high-performance piezoelectric sensors at a low cost.

MIT-backed first-of-its-kind headband offers drug-free sleep solution

The Elemind headband is a soft, lightweight, and flexible wearable designed to be worn throughout the night, regardless of one’s sleeping position. It can collect information using brainwaves and pairs with a smartphone, where users can find details about their sleep patterns.

Where the headband is effective is its ability to use neuromodulation to impact the brainwaves, directing them from wakeful patterns to those of deeper sleep. “Elemind works like noise-cancellation for the brain. You can switch off the world, switch off the stress, and go to sleep faster,” explained Meredith Perry, the CEO and co-founder of Elemind.

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