High-Tech Printing May Help Eliminate Painful Shots

Painful hypodermic needles may not be needed in the future to give shots, inject drugs and get blood samples. With 4D printing, Rutgers engineers have created tiny needles that mimic parasites that attach to skin and could replace hypodermic needles, according to a study in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

Innovative mindset takes Iowa State student on the ride of his life

Charlie Wickham loved roller coasters as a child – but he didn’t want to ride them. He finally hopped on one at 10 years old. Now a senior in mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, Wickham has ridden 250 roller coasters around the world, and his knack for designing rides and networking has given him a front-row seat to the amusement park industry.

$24 Million Partnership to Advance Next Generation Manufacturing Technologies in Kentucky

The project, Kentucky Advanced Partnership for Enhanced Robotics and Structures (or KAMPERS), will harness the collective research power of 40 multidisciplinary researchers from eight Kentucky universities and colleges. The grant will support the fundamental science needed to advance next generation manufacturing technologies, flexible electronics and robotics.

Schedule for ASA Press Conferences with Live Webcasts from San Diego

Press conferences for the 178th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America will be held Tuesday, Dec. 3, in Hospitality Suite 3103 of the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. They will focus on research into sounds from virtual reality to the deep ocean and making music from tiny atoms and 3D printing. In addition, 2020 will be celebrated as the International Year of Sound, and a kickoff event will take place during the meeting.

3D-Printed Plastics With High Performance Electrical Circuits

Rutgers engineers have embedded high performance electrical circuits inside 3D-printed plastics, which could lead to smaller and versatile drones and better-performing small satellites, biomedical implants and smart structures. They used pulses of high-energy light to fuse tiny silver wires, resulting in circuits that conduct 10 times more electricity than the state of the art, according to a study in the journal Additive Manufacturing. By increasing conductivity 10-fold, the engineers can reduce energy use, extend the life of devices and increase their performance.

Wood on our Skin

Physiological parameters in our blood can be determined without painful punctures. Empa researchers are currently working with a Canadian team to develop flexible, biocompatible nanocellulose sensors that can be attached to the skin. The 3D-printed analytic chips made of renewable raw materials will even be biodegradable in future.

New lattice designs defy conventional wisdom on metamaterials

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have designed a new class of 3D-printed lattice structures that combine light weight and high stiffness, despite breaking a rule previously thought to be required to exhibit such properties. One of the new structures additionally displays perfectly uniform response to forces in all directions.