Tag: #119

Lifting heavy items can be made easier. Now, an Italian lab team has developed a battery-operated aid for those whose legs cannot support their bodies. The team’s exoskeleton comprises two robot frames with motorised joints at hip and knee level. The structure can be telescopically adjusted to fit different body sizes. It’s attached on the outer side of the...

3D printing can deliver adaptors for handheld toothbrushes and bespoke prosthetic limbs. Now, a London-based startup has come up with a new concept, developing a special sleeve for those with below-elbow limb differences. Once the soft, lightweight sleeve is attached, different adapters can be fitted to it. Enabling those who rely on prosthetics to undertake a range of activities....

Fish remains are a good source of bioplastics. Jellyfish, meanwhile, could soon be an unlikely ally for police officers up and down the country. All thanks to Chinese-British researchers who have discovered that a fluorescent protein contained in the slimy sea-dwellers could be a big help at crime scenes. The protein binds with negatively-charged molecules in the grease and...

Pullovers from oyster shells are no sailor’s yarn. Mussels can also be a useful medical aid as a South Korean research team has proved with its biodegradable adhesive patch. To make it, they combined sticky proteins from the shellfish with two polymers: polyacryl and sodium salt. When dry, the patch is not adhesive. Instead, its adhesive effect comes into...

Some fish perceive their surroundings in the dark. Now, a Chinese-South Korean research team has developed a sensor that can recognise nearby objects without touching them. Key to the enterprise is a composite film made from two highly conductive materials. A polymer based on silicon (polydimethylsiloxane) and a few organic macromolecules (graphitic carbon nitride), which are mixed and then...

Toddlers’ hearing can be checked by smartphone while future hearing aids could be battery-free. But people with tinnitus hear more than they wish. Help is at hand thanks to a research team’s app which uses a chatbot to help people train their brains to ignore the unwanted noise. Employing solution-focused behavioural therapy, users are encouraged to dispel negative associations with...