More than a fashion statement, the sensor corset will be designed to monitor the movements of the wearer to help doctors fine-tune rehabilitation. The lightweight corset will be embedded with an array of sensors that will track the movements of the wearer's torso, sending the data to a computer via Bluetooth. The flexible conductive elastomers will be printed on the fabric and, being piezoelectric, will generate a current when they are bent or stretched. It will be possible...

The idea is to develop a way to reduce skin aging by adding fiber to the areas around skin cells, causing the cells to act like younger cells again. The process will involve adding filler to the extracellular matrix, or ECM, that acts as a scaffold for the cells. As the skin ages, the ECM begins to fragment, which causes the cells to lose their supportive connections and hastens their decline.

A mussel-inspired gel could be used to reinforce weakened blood vessels. The gel is inspired by the mussel's fibrous adhesive called byssus, which the creature uses to keep itself attached to rocks. Made of a material similar to the amino acid found in the byssus, the gel can withstand the pressure of blood flow through arteries and could be used to strengthen vessel walls at risk of rupture. Preventing the rupture of blood vessel plaque is the most promising application of...

Porcupine quills have inspired a new adhesive patch that could greatly benefit patients who have undergone internal surgeries. The microscopic barbs on the quills allow them to penetrate tissue easily while being extremely difficult to remove. The barbs localize the penetration forces, making it easier for them to tear through tissue, but act like anchors once they have inserted themselves. To create the adhesive it is possible to build a patch with an array of barbed quills on one...

A new polymer foam able to stop internal bleeding could help save the lives of soldiers suffering from abdominal wounds. The foam will consist of two liquid phases that will be injected into the abdomen, where they will interact with each other and swell to press against the wound and stanch the flow of blood. The foam will be able to expand through pooled and clotted blood, where it can control hemorrhaging for at least an hour, and will take on a solid form that can be removed by...

The idea is to use temporary tattoos to diagnose metabolic disorders or warn of dehydration. The tattoos will feature layers of silver, carbon fiber-modified carbon and insulator inks, followed by electropolymerization of aniline to complete the sensing surface. The tattoos will stay in place even on extremely sweaty skin, and different sensing materials will be incorporated to allow the tattoos to detect other components of sweat. Applications for the tattoo will include the...

A newly discovered method of replacing degraded retinal cells with corneal cells could help to prevent, or even cure, blindness. It was discovered that corneal limbal stromal cells have stem cell properties, which could allow them to be cultured to create retinal cells. Because the corneal cells are on a thick region on the front surface of the eye, they are relatively easy to remove, and since the cells come from the patient's own body, there is less chance of rejection.

A new jellyfish-inspired device will use its tentacles to grab tumor cells in the bloodstream, which could make it easier to determine the efficiency of cancer treatments in patients. The device will be made up of a microchip with a long DNA strand attached to it. The DNA strand, called an aptamer, will bind with targeted cancer cells, but the strands are usually short. To create the long DNA "tentacles," I suggest making copies of the aptamer using rolling circle amplification and...

A new "smart" insole could help people recovering from hip surgery or broken legs learn to walk without a limp. The insole features two resistors that measure the pressure of the wearer's foot on the ground, an accelerometer that detects leg movement and a gyroscope that monitors the position of the foot. Data from these sensors is sent to a smartphone, which then creates a real-time profile of the patient's gait and sends the feedback in the form of the user's choosing: visual,...

A new HIV test able to deliver results visible to the naked eye could greatly benefit impoverished countries that lack sophisticated laboratories. The test involves adding serum from a blood sample to a solution of gold nanoparticles that react in a specific way when exposed to the HIV biomarker p24. If p24 is present, the nanoparticles will gather in an irregular pattern that turns the solution blue, while the absence of p24 will cause the nanoparticles to separate into ball...