The idea is to develop a disposable organic sensor that will alert parents and caregivers when it is time to change a wet diaper. The flexible, integrated system will be printed with inkjet technology using organic materials and will be able to send information and receive its power wirelessly. While most healthcare sensors rely on silicon and other stiff materials, the new sensor will be printed on a thin piece of film, and so will be more comfortable to wear. And while there are...

Forget fingerprints and iris scans--a new form of biometric identification will use body odor to identify the individual. Every person's individual body odor is unique, and can be used to identify an individual with an accuracy rate of more than 85 percent. The odor-identification method may provide a more subtle alternative to the current biometric techniques like fingerprints and iris scans--techniques that are often associated with criminal records and could cause people to be...

A new pen will do more than just look good--it will also never need sharpening and will never run of out of 'ink.' The pen will be handcrafted of aluminum and wood, giving it an unmistakable style. The true beauty of the pen, however, will be contained in its Ethergraph tip, a special metal alloy that will leave a precise, permanent line on the paper--a bit like a combination of a pencil and ink pen. The tip will never wear out and will continue to write forever with no need for a...

The idea is to develop a microfluidic device able to function with tissue samples, which could significantly speed up the process of cancer biopsies. Previous versions of microfluidic devices have only been able to work with single-celled organisms. To overcome this limitation, I suggest creating a low-cost, credit card-sized device for pancreatic cancer diagnosis that will be able to analyze a whole tissue biopsy for 3D imaging. The silicon device will be equipped with tiny...

By combining three different base materials, the new 3D printer will be able to produce objects with a variety of colors and material characteristics. The printer will use three colors--cyan, magneta and yellow--that will be combined with other polymers to create objects that will feature combinations of soft, rigid or transparent qualities. The triple-jet technology will allow for hundreds of different color and material combinations (up to 45 different colors in one object),...

The new case for iPhones will let you keep your phone protected even while taking a call. The case will be equipped with a window and a proprietary touch-sensitive strip that will allow you to see who is calling and then take the call without ever opening the case's front cover. The flip-style case will be made of polycarbonate plastic and 'leatherette,' and will retain the phone's slim design.

The new digital stethoscope will be equipped with a visual display and the world's first heart murmur indicator, designed to help physicians pinpoint sounds of potential cardiac issues. The device will work in the same way as a conventional stethoscope, but will also feature a screen that will display the phonocardiogram of the patient's heartbeat, allowing a measure of visual confirmation. More exciting may be its embedded algorithm, which will allow physicians to screen for heart...

An implantable device able to provide a real time reading of the amount of medication in a person's bloodstream could allow doctors to fine-tune medication doses for each individual patient. The microfluidic device will feature a central chamber lined with gold electrodes with DNA strands extending from them. These strands, called aptamers, will be set to recognize specific drug molecules as the blood moves through the chamber. As the molecules of the target drug flow through the...

There is a way to reduce heart swelling after a heart attack by using injectable nanoparticles, which could help increase the patient's chance of survival. The process will involve injecting negatively charged nanoparticles made of a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer into the bloodstream within 24 hours after the heart attack has occurred. The particles will attract the positively-charged monocytes and redirect them to the spleen instead. The treatment will result in...

My idea is to develop a contact lens able to measure glucose levels in tears - offering a potentially more effective way to manage diabetes. The lens will be embedded with a miniature wireless chip and glucose sensor sandwiched between two layers of soft contact lens material. It will be able to generate glucose levels readings at the rate of once per second. It is also worth investigating ways the lens could function as an early warning system for the user exploring ways to...