Biomimetics or biomimicry is the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems.[1] The terms "biomimetics" and "biomimicry" derive from Ancient Greek: βίος (bios), life, and μίμησις (mīmēsis), imitation, from μιμεῖσθαι (mīmeisthai), to imitate, from μῖμος (mimos), actor. A closely related field is bionics.[2] Living organisms have evolved well-adapted structures and materials over geological time through natural selection. Biomimeti...

Holosuite is an optimized, multi-threaded implementation of end-to-end 3D telepresence operating on two remote PCs via internet. It can render visual output to holographic displays, as well as advanced 3D displays with motion parallax reprojection. There is a temptation to label Holosuite as “3D Skype” or “3D Videoconferencing”, but this fails to distinguish what is important about Holosuite, as it neglects the collaborative and interactive aspects of Holosuite. The Holosuite software proj...

Open Bionics, who have previously collaborated with Disney for Marvel and Star Wars-inspired prosthetics, will produce an arm based on the game's protagonist Adam Jensen. The Deus Ex video game franchise, which is itself set in a world where human augmentation through mechanical prosthetics is the norm, seems like a natural source of inspiration for prosthetic design. Together, Eidos Montreal, Square Enix, and OpenBionics are working on the development of two Deus Ex inspired bionic arms, ...

Doctors have a powerful arsenal of cancer-fighting chemotherapy drugs to choose from, though a key challenge is to better target these drugs to kill tumors while limiting their potentially harmful side effects. Now, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) are helping to develop and test materials for a new device that can be inserted via a tiny tube into a vein and soak up most of these drugs like a sponge. That’s after a separate tube de...

NASA's GPM mission is the first to coordinate a network of international satellites (current and planned) to produce the next generation of data on global precipitation. The star of the mission is the GPM Core Observatory, launched in February of 2014. It carries an advanced radar/radiometer system and serves as a reference standard that will unify precipitation measurements from the constellation. To do this, technology had to be developed that could link the data from the GPM Core Observatory ...

As numerous achievements have taken place in space over the last 50-plus years, a number of innovations have simultaneously taken place on the ground. For example, Jack Triolo, a senior engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, worked with John B. Schutt, a chemist extraordinaire and coatings specialist at Goddard from the 1960s through the 1990s. Schutt spent considerable time experimenting with formulas to create super-durable coatings for spacecraft. “My job was to fly different coa...

Your brain is made up of billions of brain cells called neurons, which use electricity to communicate with each other. The combination of millions of neurons sending signals at once produces an enormous amount of electrical activity in the brain, which can be detected using sensitive medical equipment (such as an EEG), measuring electricity levels over areas of the scalp. The combination of electrical activity of the brain is commonly called a brainwave pattern, because of its cyclic, "wave-l...

The US Food and Drug Administration has allowed the marketing of a contact lens sensor that may help practitioners identify the best time of day to measure a patient’s intraocular pressure (IOP). It is important to determine whether a patient has elevated IOP as it is often associated with the optic nerve damage that is characteristic of glaucoma. Triggerfish has a sensor embedded in a soft silicone contact lens that detects tiny changes or fluctuations in an eye’s volume. The device is wo...

Hair loss is a common side effect of certain types of chemotherapy, commonly associated with the treatment of breast cancer. Hair may fall out entirely, gradually, in sections, or may become thin. Hair loss due to cancer treatment is usually temporary, but minimizing or relieving these kinds of side effects are considered important to overall treatment. “We are pleased to see a product for breast cancer patients that can minimize chemotherapy-induced hair loss and contribute to the quality of...

LifeVest wearable defibrillator is worn by patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), providing protection during their changing condition and while permanent SCA risk has not been established. The LifeVest allows a patient’s physician time to assess their long-term arrhythmic risk and make appropriate plans. The LifeVest is lightweight and easy to wear, allowing patients to return to their common activities of daily living, while having the peace of mind that they are protected from SCA....

Nissan's new smartwatch that links drivers intimately with their cars, showing both driving telemetry such as speed, and driver heart rate... Nissan says the watch will be the first in an ongoing line of wearable devices for drivers. Nissan Motorsport (Nismo, for short) is the performance division of Nissan Motor Company. Wherever Nissan cars are raced professionally, Nismo engineers are responsible for the delicate tuning that delivers a track-worthy performance. Nissan Nismo Smart Wat...

Researchers in Switzerland are working to develop magnifying contact lenses that zoom in and out with a wink. The innovative new vision-enhancing system, the first of its kind, includes a set of telescopic lenses and smart glasses that can distinguish between blinks and winks so that the user can easily flick between zoomed and normal vision. The visual aids, which are still in the prototype stage, could be useful for those with visual impairment, which affects some 285 million people worl...

Snowcorn is a bracelet like concept device with sixth sense which includes a built-in projector, a camera and Wi-Fi connectivity. Moreover, this device can be placed anywhere on around your neck or chest. The transparent part of this device is a screen that can show basic functions or time and more complicated controls are done by the projected UL. You will be able to customize it with your desired color and style. This device will allow you to scan a business card to include the person’s par...

Afrezza® is an inhaled human insulin indicated to help improve glycemic control in adults with diabetes mellitus Inhalable insulin is a powdered form of insulin, delivered with a nebulizer into the lungs where it is absorbed. Inhaled insulin is another option for people with diabetes to control their blood sugar. It works for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The FDA has approved an inhaled, rapid-acting, dry-powder formulation of recombinant human insulin (Afrezza–Mannkind/Sanofi) for tre...

Swimband is a personal water safety system that is designed to prevent accidental drowning for toddlers. iSwimband is a Bluetooth device that connects to a smart phone or tablet to alert parents if a swimmer has been underwater for a long period, or a non-swimmer has entered the water. Swimband is the world's first wearable wireless sensor designed to notify you immediately with audible/visual alerts on your smartphone, tablet and linked speakers if a swimmer has been submerged dan...

Blood glucose monitoring technology has evolved since the test strip. Now there are electrochemical sensors being developed that employ a two or three electrode system and are convenient to use. (Vashist, Zheng, Al-Rubeaan, Luong, & Sheu, 2011). The Abbott company has been a pioneer in diabetes monitoring systems. They are starting to roll out a new glucose monitoring system in select markets and should be worldwide in the near future. The FreeStyle® Libre Pro Flash Glucose Monitoring...

By leveraging technological advances in wireless monitoring, artificial intelligence, and affordable point-of-care biomedical processes, new opportunities in consumer-driven, in-home, medical diagnostic tools are not only possible, but they are the future of health care. Many of us have spent hours navigating through a disjointed, complicated health care system, the failures of which are frustrating to both patients and providers. What if, instead of waiting several weeks to get an appointmen...

CardioMEMS HF System measures and monitors the pulmonary artery (PA) pressure and heart rate in certain heart failure patients. The System consists of an implantable PA sensor, delivery system, and Patient Electronics System. The implantable sensor is permanently placed in the pulmonary artery, the blood vessel that moves blood from the heart to the lungs. The sensor is implanted during a right heart catheterization procedure. The PA sensor is about the size of small paper clip and has a thin, c...

Indigi® Car Jump Starter Mobile Battery Charger Power Bank As Emergency Car Battery Booster 12800mAh Cellphone Laptop Backup Power Source   Smallest, lightest, and most powerful portable 12 Volt Car Vehicle Jump Starter - Power Bank Power Source for All iPhone, iPad, iWatch, Galaxy Phone, Smartphone, Android Phone, Smartwatch, Watch Phone, Laptop, Notebook, MP3/MP4 Player, GPS, Camera and PSP so on Built-in 12800mAh power bank with 12V DC output, it features a key switch to choose...

This is the hands-free device that combines LED light treatment with vibration and compression massage to ease pain and stiffness in the knee. Only available from Hammacher Schlemmer, it is ideal for addressing the symptoms of arthritis, bursitis, edema, and injuries without medication. The reliever consists of a vibrating shell that fits around the patella and a surrounding ring of 12 LEDs. While the nodes systematically vibrate to massage muscles surrounding the knee, kneading out tension a...

The Aurai is an innovative and practical water-propelled eye massager that helps you relieve eye strain and stress. the Aurai eye massager consists of two parts including an eye mask measuring 6.5 x 2.76 x 2.56 inches and a controller measuring 8.27 x 1.77 x 1.97 inches. The eye mask has a minimal, sleek and ergonomic appearance. Using its adjustable and detachable strap, the eye mask fit on a variety of wearers. Unlike most regular eye massagers using rigid vibration, Aurai utilizes a uni...

The ReliefBand was designed to specifically combat nausea and vomiting. The technology uses programmable pulses "with highly specific waveform, frequency, and intensity to stimulate the median nerve on the underside of the wrist," according to the company. You can turn Reliefband on and off, or up and down in 5 settings to suit your individual needs.  Reliefband works within minutes, without the side effects or drug interactions of medications.  Just slip it on your wrist, adjust the intensit...

MIT Startup Exchange is a web community for the MIT innovation ecosystem, particularly MIT ILP's members, MIT-connected startups and all MIT employees or alumni who have active startup engagements. It currently list 1000+ MIT-connected startups in various stages of development. Some are acquired by other companies. We aim to grow but also to refine and curate that list to always reflect only true, active, emerging startups, with an archive of all historical startups retrievable through advanc...

Conference Exhibitor Opportunity, Presented by Wuxi municipal government & Jiangsu Provincial Gov The MIT Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) offers a curated visit to China from 7-11 November 2016, including an MIT China Startup Showcase with speaking opportunities for MIT-connected startups that are interested in exploring the Chinese market. You will travel with a group of MIT Faculty. The local organizers will sponsor hotel costs for a small set of MIT startups (5+). The MIT-conne...

Referendums held in Switzerland in 2016 to introduce a basic income. The idea of giving everyone in society free money—a universal basic income—has been getting a lot of attention recently. The Finnish government is planning a big experiment, where up to 100,000 people could get about $1,100 a month. Four Dutch cities will probably run trials this summer. And several other cities and states, from Canada to Spain, are interested. This June, Switzerland will be the first country to actually ...

Cleveland Clinic has partnered with Case Western Reserve University to release a Microsoft HoloLens app that allows users to explore the human body using augmented reality technology. The HoloLens is a headset that superimposes computer generated 3D graphics onto a person’s field of view, essentially blending reality with virtual reality. The HoloAnatomy app lets people explore a virtual human, to walk around it looking at details of different systems of the body, and to select which are show...

Innovative Handheld ultrasound Vscan and Vscan with Dual Probe An intuitive pocket-sized ultrasound device that enables medical professionals including cardiologists, general practitioners, OB/GYN, primary care, emergency physicians and intensivists to easily image at the point of care - transforming the physical exam with more information to determine the optimized course of treatment for patients. St. George's Hospital in South London has started using Vscan, a small device, similar to a ...

3D scanning manufacturer, Artec, has created a 3D body scanning booth where 12 seconds of scanning results in a “Shapie” figurine. The Artec Shapify Booth is 3D body scanning and selfie making automated machine. Use it to sell hundreds of high quality personal figurines every month. Scan your customer in 12 seconds. 5 minutes later a detailed 3D model is created automatically. These beautiful and lifelike ceramic figurines are printed using 3D printers. They look hand-painted, but are prin...

Engineers at UC Berkeley are developing a new type of bandage that does far more than stanch the bleeding from a paper cut or scraped knee. Associate professor Michel Maharbiz explains how the smart bandage works to detect bedsores. (UC Berkeley video by Roxanne Makasdjian and Phil Ebiner) Thanks to advances in flexible electronics, the researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at UC San Francisco, have created a new “smart bandage” that uses electrical currents to detect early tissue dama...

Xiaomi Technology in collaboration with the American company iHealth Labs have developed smart phone blood pressure monitoring device.. The device looks a little different from the classic tonometer: the appropriate size cuff is connected to the docking The device looks a little different from the classic tonometer: the appropriate size cuff is connected to the docking stanitsa, which is connected to the smartphone with preloaded software platform. The application retrieves the data and outpu...