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UC San Diego Engineers Inducted Into 2024 Class of the AIMBE College of Fellows

UC San Diego Engineers Inducted Into 2024 Class of the AIMBE College of Fellows

March 25, 2024

Two engineering professors at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering were inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Professors Ludmil Alexandrov and Sheng Xu were among the 162 new AIMBE Fellows who were recognized at a ceremony during the AIMBE Annual Event on March 25. Full Story


These Tiny Power Converters Run on Vibrational Energy

These Tiny Power Converters Run on Vibrational Energy

February 20, 2024

The University of California San Diego and CEA-Leti scientists have developed a ground-breaking piezoelectric-based DC-DC converter that unifies all power switches onto a single chip to increase power density. This new power topology, which extends beyond existing topologies, blends the advantages of piezoelectric converters with capacitive-based DC-DC converters. Full Story


Transforming Clinical Recording of Deep Brain Activity with a New Take on Sensor Manufacturing

Transforming Clinical Recording of Deep Brain Activity with a New Take on Sensor Manufacturing

January 17, 2024

Sensors built with a new manufacturing approach are capable of recording activity deep within the brain from large populations of individual neurons–with a resolution of as few as one or two neurons–in humans as well as a range of animal models, according to a study published in the Jan. 17, 2024 issue of the journal Nature Communications. The research team is led by the Integrated Electronics and Biointerfaces Laboratory (IEBL) at the University of California San Diego. Full Story


Smartphone Attachment Could Increase Racial Fairness in Neurological Screening

Smartphone Attachment Could Increase Racial Fairness in Neurological Screening

October 24, 2023

This smartphone attachment could enable people to screen for a variety of neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury, at low cost—and do so accurately regardless of their skin tone. The attachment fits over a smartphone's camera to capture clear video of pupil size changes, which can offer clues about an individual's neurological functions. The device helps the camera see the pupil easily in dark eye colors.  Full Story


These screen-printed, flexible sensors allow earbuds to record brain activity and exercise levels

These screen-printed, flexible sensors allow earbuds to record brain activity and exercise levels

September 28, 2023

A pair of earbuds can be turned into a tool to record the electrical activity of the brain as well as levels of lactate in the body with the addition of two flexible sensors screen-printed onto a stamp-like flexible surface.   Full Story


UC San Diego Nanoengineering and Chemical Engineering Professor Sheng Xu Named Finalist for Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists

UC San Diego Nanoengineering and Chemical Engineering Professor Sheng Xu Named Finalist for Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists

August 7, 2023

University of California San Diego nanoengineering and chemical engineering professor Sheng Xu has been named a Finalist for the 2023 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists. This nationwide awards program celebrates the most innovative, faculty-ranked scientists and engineers in the United States who are under the age of 42.    Full Story


UC San Diego teams earn four of 18 Qualcomm Innovation Fellowships in North America for 2023

UC San Diego teams earn four of 18 Qualcomm Innovation Fellowships in North America for 2023

July 24, 2023

Four UC San Diego teams have been awarded prestigious Qualcomm Innovation Fellowships for North America in 2023. The teams are affiliated with UC San Diego's Center for Visual Computing; Center for Wearable Sensors; and Contextual Robotics Institute.    Full Story


Super Low-cost Smartphone Attachment Brings Blood Pressure Monitoring to Your Fingertips

Super Low-cost Smartphone Attachment Brings Blood Pressure Monitoring to Your Fingertips

May 29, 2023

UC San Diego engineers have developed a simple 3D-printed attachment that clips over a smartphone's camera and flash to measure blood pressure at the user's fingertip. The clip works with a custom smartphone app and currently costs about 80 cents to make. Researchers say it could help make regular blood pressure monitoring easy, affordable and accessible to people in resource-poor communities. Full Story


Insulin detection in diabetes mellitus: challenges and new prospects

Insulin detection in diabetes mellitus: challenges and new prospects

May 25, 2023

This Perspective discusses the advances and challenges in moving insulin assays from traditional laboratory-based assays to frequent and continuous measurements in decentralized (point-of-care and home) settings.  Full Story


A Giant Leap Forward in Wireless Ultrasound Monitoring for Subjects in Motion

A Giant Leap Forward in Wireless Ultrasound Monitoring for Subjects in Motion

May 22, 2023

A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed the first fully integrated wearable ultrasound system for deep-tissue monitoring, including for subjects on the go. It marks a major breakthrough for one of the world’s leading wearable ultrasound labs. Full Story


Leading Wearable Ultrasound Lab Creates a Breakthrough in Deep Tissue Monitoring

Leading Wearable Ultrasound Lab Creates a Breakthrough in Deep Tissue Monitoring

May 2, 2023

UC San Diego engineers have developed a stretchable ultrasonic array that facilitates serial, non-invasive, three-dimensional imaging of tissues as deep as four centimeters below the surface of human skin, at a spatial resolution of 0.5 millimeters. This new method provides a non-invasive, longer-term alternative to current methods, with improved penetration depth. Full Story


Breakthrough enables battery-free smart tag technology

Breakthrough enables battery-free smart tag technology

February 22, 2023

Imagine you can open your fridge, open an app on your phone and immediately know which items are expiring within a few days. This is one of the applications that a new technology developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego would enable.    Full Story


2022 Research Highlights

2022 Research Highlights

December 20, 2022

From tools to track the origin and spread of COVID-19, to making homes safer in earthquakes, to using smartphones as diagnostic tools, researchers at the Jacobs School of Engineering pioneered important work in 2022. A few highlights of our outstanding research this year are here. Full Story


Three Entrepreneurial UC San Diego Faculty Members To Join National Academy of Inventors

Three Entrepreneurial UC San Diego Faculty Members To Join National Academy of Inventors

December 8, 2022

UC San Diego’s ranks now include 18 fellows of the National Academy of Inventors. Three professors have been named 2022 NAI fellows, the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors. This year’s inductees all hail from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering: Yu-Hwa Lo, a professor of electrical and computer engineering; Nicole Steinmetz and Joseph Wang, both professors of nanoengineering. Full Story


Innovative Self-Powered Ingestible Sensor Opens New Avenues for Gut Research

Innovative Self-Powered Ingestible Sensor Opens New Avenues for Gut Research

December 1, 2022

Engineering researchers have developed a battery-free, pill-shaped ingestible biosensing system designed to provide continuous monitoring in the intestinal environment. It gives scientists the ability to monitor gut metabolites in real time, which wasn’t possible before. This feat of technological integration could unlock new understanding of intestinal metabolite composition, which significantly impacts human health overall. Full Story


Joseph Wang awarded the Ralph N. Adams Award in Bioanalytical Chemistry

Joseph Wang awarded the Ralph N. Adams Award in Bioanalytical Chemistry

November 18, 2022

The 2023 Adams Award winner is UC San Diego NanoEngineernig Professor Joseph Wang, currently SAIC Endowed Chair, Distinguished Professor of Nanoengineering, and Director of the Center for Wearable Sensors at the University of California at San Diego. Full Story


The Jacobs School at Neuroscience 2022

The Jacobs School at Neuroscience 2022

November 10, 2022

 The Society for Neuroscience is holding its annual conference, Neuroscience 2022, Nov. 12 to 16 in San Diego and the faculty of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering will have a strong presence at the event.    Full Story


Standalone Sweat Sensor from UC San Diego Provides Immediate Readout

Standalone Sweat Sensor from UC San Diego Provides Immediate Readout

October 6, 2022

Engineers at UC San Diego have developed a thin, flexible and stretchy sweat sensor that can show the level of glucose, lactate, sodium, or pH of your sweat, as soon as a press of the finger. It is the first standalone wearable device that allows the sensor to operate independently – without any wired or wireless connection to external devices – to directly visualize the result of the measurement.   Full Story


San Diego Union-Tribune previews opening of Franklin Antonio Hall

San Diego Union-Tribune previews opening of Franklin Antonio Hall

September 9, 2022

Just weeks before the grand opening on Sept. 23, the San Diego Union-Tribune published an extensive story about Franklin Antonio Hall, the latest building at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The sleek and soaring structure is located across the street from to Atkinson Hall, near the campus’ Warren College neighborhood.    Full Story


Multi-tasking wearable continuously monitors glucose, alcohol, and lactate

Multi-tasking wearable continuously monitors glucose, alcohol, and lactate

May 9, 2022

Imagine being able to measure your blood sugar levels, know if you’ve had too much to drink, and track your fatigue during a workout, all in one small device worn on your skin. UC San Diego engineers developed a prototype of such a wearable that continuously monitors several health stats at once. Full Story


New sensor grids record human brain signals in record-breaking resolution

New sensor grids record human brain signals in record-breaking resolution

January 19, 2022

A new array of sensors can record electrical signals directly from the surface of the human brain in record-breaking detail: 100 times higher resolution than today's clinical tools. This could improve neurosurgeons' ability to remove brain tumors safely and surgically treat drug-resistant epilepsy.  Full Story


'Pop-up' electronic sensors could detect when individual heart cells misbehave

'Pop-up' electronic sensors could detect when individual heart cells misbehave

December 23, 2021

UC San Diego engineers developed a powerful new tool that directly measures the movement and speed of electrical signals inside heart cells, using tiny “pop-up” sensors that poke into cells without damaging them. It could be used to gain more detailed insights into heart disorders and diseases. Full Story


UC San Diego engineering professors inducted into National Academy of Inventors

UC San Diego engineering professors inducted into National Academy of Inventors

December 7, 2021

Two professors at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering have been named 2021 fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Shaochen Chen, professor and chair of nanoengineering, and Tse Nga (Tina) Ng, professor of electrical and computer engineering, were among the 164 fellows announced by the NAI this year who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society. Full Story


10 Jacobs School faculty among 2021 list of most highly cited researchers in the world

10 Jacobs School faculty among 2021 list of most highly cited researchers in the world

November 30, 2021

Ten professors at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering are among the world’s most influential researchers in their fields. The professors, Ludmil Alexandrov, Trey Ideker, Rob Knight, Prashant Mali, Ying Shirley Meng, Shyue Ping Ong, Bernhard O. Palsson, Joseph Wang, Sheng Xu and Liangfang Zhang, are amone 51 professors and researchers at UC San Diego named in the prestigious list of Highly Cited Researchers in 2021. Full Story


 UC San Diego leads a $12.25 million grant to improve epilepsy treatment

UC San Diego leads a $12.25 million grant to improve epilepsy treatment

September 9, 2021

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $12.25 million grant to the University of California San Diego to develop and enhance brain-sensing and brain-stimulating platform technologies to enable treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Full Story


Soft skin patch could provide early warning for strokes, heart attacks

Soft skin patch could provide early warning for strokes, heart attacks

July 22, 2021

UC San Diego engineers developed a soft, stretchy ultrasound patch that can be worn on the skin to monitor blood flow through vessels deep inside the body. Such a device can make it easier to detect cardiovascular problems, like blockages in the arteries that could lead to strokes or heart attacks. Full Story


Calling all couch potatoes: this finger wrap can let you power electronics while you sleep

Calling all couch potatoes: this finger wrap can let you power electronics while you sleep

July 13, 2021

A new wearable device turns the sweat and press of a fingertip into a source of power for small electronics and sensors. This sweat-fueled device is the first to generate power even while the wearer is asleep—no exercise or movement required. Full Story


Personalized sweat sensor reliably monitors blood glucose without finger pricks

Personalized sweat sensor reliably monitors blood glucose without finger pricks

May 10, 2021

UC San Diego engineers developed a device that could make it more convenient for people with diabetes to measure their blood glucose. The device can measure glucose in sweat with the touch of a fingertip, and then a personalized algorithm provides an accurate estimate of blood glucose levels. Full Story


'Wearable microgrid' uses the human body to sustainably power small gadgets

'Wearable microgrid' uses the human body to sustainably power small gadgets

March 9, 2021

This shirt harvests and stores energy from the human body to power small electronics. UC San Diego nanoengineers call it a "wearable microgrid"—it combines energy from the wearer's sweat and movement to provide renewable power for wearable devices. Full Story


New skin patch brings us closer to wearable, all-in-one health monitor

New skin patch brings us closer to wearable, all-in-one health monitor

February 15, 2021

UC San Diego engineers have developed a soft, stretchy skin patch that can be worn on the neck to continuously track blood pressure and heart rate while measuring the wearer’s levels of glucose as well as lactate, alcohol or caffeine. It performs as well as commercial monitoring devices such as a blood pressure cuff, blood lactate meter, glucometer and breathalyzer.  Full Story


Making masks smarter and safer against COVID-19

Making masks smarter and safer against COVID-19

January 21, 2021

A new tool for monitoring COVID-19 may one day be right under your nose. Researchers at the University of California San Diego are developing a color-changing test strip that can be stuck on a mask and used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in a person’s breath or saliva. The project is aimed at providing simple, affordable and reliable surveillance for COVID-19 infections that can be done daily and easily implemented in resource-poor settings. Full Story


Wearables: Where Are We?

Wearables: Where Are We?

January 21, 2021

We spoke with Patrick Mercier,  professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and co-director of the Center for Wearable Sensors (CWS), and Joseph Wang, professor of Nanoengineering and director of CWS. Full Story


10 Jacobs School Faculty Named in 2020 List of Highly Cited Researchers

10 Jacobs School Faculty Named in 2020 List of Highly Cited Researchers

December 8, 2020

Ten professors at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering are among the world’s most influential researchers in their fields, according to a new research citation report from the Web of Science Group. The professors, Ludmil Alexandrov, Trey Ideker, Rob Knight, Nathan E. Lewis, Prashant Mali, Ying Shirley Meng, Bernhard O. Palsson, Joseph Wang, Kun Zhang and Liangfang Zhang, are amone 52 professors and researchers at UC San Diego named in the prestigious list of Highly Cited Researchers in 2020. Full Story


2021 Talanta Medal awarded to Professor Joseph Wang

2021 Talanta Medal awarded to Professor Joseph Wang

October 21, 2020

The Talanta Medal, awarded on a biennial basis, acknowledges outstanding achievements in analytical chemistry. The 2021 Medal is awarded to Professor Joseph Wang of the University of California San Diego, USA, in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the field, especially in pioneering developments in electrochemistry, biosensors, nanomachines, wearable devices, nanobioelectronics, and analytical chemistry. Full Story


Wearable Electrochemical Sensors for the Monitoring and Screening of Drugs

Wearable Electrochemical Sensors for the Monitoring and Screening of Drugs

August 24, 2020

A new article in ACS Sensors from Joseph Wang's lab reviews for the first time wearable electrochemical sensors for monitoring therapeutic drugs and drugs of abuse. Full Story


Nanoengineering and chemical engineering at UC San Diego in the spotlight

Nanoengineering and chemical engineering at UC San Diego in the spotlight

August 10, 2020

A creative group of faculty, students and staff within the University of California San Diego are taking innovative approaches to develop breakthroughs in nanomedicine, flexible electronics, and energy storage. Together, this group makes up the Department of NanoEngineering and the Chemical Engineering Program at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. A virtual issue of the journal ACS Nano highlights the wide ranging research, educational and workforce-development contributions of this extraordinary group.  Full Story


New fabrication method brings single-crystal perovskite devices closer to viability

New fabrication method brings single-crystal perovskite devices closer to viability

July 29, 2020

Nanoengineers at UC San Diego developed a new method to fabricate perovskites as single-crystal thin films, which are more efficient for use in solar cells and optical devices than the current state-of-the-art polycrystalline forms of the material. Researchers in Professor Sheng Xu’s lab published their findings on July 29 in Nature. Full Story


Wearable device company named Spinoff Prize finalist

Wearable device company named Spinoff Prize finalist

July 17, 2020

Softsonics, a UC San Diego spinoff company co-founded by and based on work from Nanoengineering Professor Sheng Xu, has been named a finalist for the inaugural Spinoff Prize from Nature. Softsonics is developing a soft, flexible patch that can be worn on the skin over the carotid artery or jugular vein, and which uses pulses of ultrasound to measure blood pressure. The hope is that the device will provide a deeper and more accurate measurement of blood pressure, both for people in intensive care and for those going about their daily lives. Full Story


IEEE Spectrum Cover Story

IEEE Spectrum Cover Story

June 22, 2020

The cover feature of IEEE Spectrum this month is a feature on the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors: Why Sweat will Power your next Wearable. Full Story


New wearable sensor tracks Vitamin C levels in sweat

New wearable sensor tracks Vitamin C levels in sweat

May 18, 2020

A team at the University of California San Diego has developed a wearable, non invasive Vitamin C sensor that could provide a new, highly personalized option for users to track their daily nutritional intake and dietary adherence. The study was published in the May 18, 2020 issue of ACS Sensors. Full Story


A low-power, low-cost wearable to monitor COVID-19 patients

A low-power, low-cost wearable to monitor COVID-19 patients

May 18, 2020

Engineers at the University of California San Diego are developing low-cost, low-power wearable sensors that can measure temperature and respiration--key vital signs used to monitor COVID-19. The devices would transmit data wirelessly to a smartphone, and could be used to monitor patients for viral infections that affect temperature and respiration in real time. The research team plans to develop a device and a manufacturing process in just 12 months.   Full Story


New chip brings ultra-low power Wi-Fi connectivity to IoT devices

New chip brings ultra-low power Wi-Fi connectivity to IoT devices

February 17, 2020

More portable, fully wireless smart home setups. Lower power wearables. Batteryless smart devices. These could all be made possible thanks to a new ultra-low power Wi-Fi radio developed by UC San Diego engineers. It enables Wi-Fi communication at 5,000 times less power than commercial Wi-Fi radios. Full Story


Five Outstanding Engineering Honor Awards to be Presented by the San Diego County Engineers Council

Five Outstanding Engineering Honor Awards to be Presented by the San Diego County Engineers Council

February 5, 2020

In its 69th year, the annual Engineers Week Awards Banquet, hosted by the San Diego County Engineering Council (SDCEC) on February 21, 2020, is bringing together leaders in our community to celebrate those who educate, create and advance engineering. The 2020 winners who will be receiving the prestigious SDCEC Engineering Honor Awards include Patrick Mercier, who will be receiving the Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award. Full Story


Growing strained crystals could improve performance of perovskite electronics

Growing strained crystals could improve performance of perovskite electronics

January 9, 2020

A new method could enable researchers to build more efficient, longer lasting perovskite solar cells and LEDs. By growing thin perovskite films on different substrates, UC San Diego engineers invented a way of fabricating perovskite single crystals with precisely deformed, or strained, structures. Full Story


New chip for waking up small wireless devices could extend battery life

New chip for waking up small wireless devices could extend battery life

November 12, 2019

A new power saving chip could significantly reduce or eliminate the need to replace batteries in Internet of Things (IoT) devices and wearables. The so-called wake-up receiver wakes up a device only when it needs to communicate and perform its function, saving on power use. Full Story


Pacifier embedded with biosensors monitors newborn glucose levels

Pacifier embedded with biosensors monitors newborn glucose levels

November 7, 2019

CWS researchers created a pacifier-based electrochemical biosensor that tracks real-time glucose levels in a baby's saliva. Until now, it has been difficult to use wearables with babies and infants. Biosensors are typically made with bulky and rigid surfaces that could be harmful to a baby's skin. Long term use of wearables could cause discomfort for babies that they cannot communicate. The new biosensor is created with soft, pacifier-like materials that are safe for babies. When an infant sucks on the pacifier, small amounts of saliva transfer through the channel to the integrated outside detection chamber. Full Story


Congressional hearing discusses CWS innovations

Congressional hearing discusses CWS innovations

November 7, 2019

At a recent Congressional hearing, the following question was posed: "If resources were available, what is the innovative research you would like to pursue?" One of the answers discussed continuous, wearable health trackers, such as the ultrasound patch for monitoring blood pressure developed by the lab of Sheng Xu. Full Story


Center for Wearable Sensors Fall 2019 Research Summit

Center for Wearable Sensors Fall 2019 Research Summit

October 23, 2019

The Center for Wearable Sensors hosted its Fall 2019 Research Summit on Oct. 23. UC San Diego faculty gave talks on their CWS projects, ranging from smart glasses for everyday health monitoring to minimally invasive microneedles for interstitial fluid monitoring. Full Story


Joseph Wang named among 2019 Class of ECS Fellows

Joseph Wang named among 2019 Class of ECS Fellows

September 9, 2019

Fellow of The Electrochemical Society was established in 1989 for advanced individual technological contributions in the fields of electrochemistry and solid state science and technology and service to the Society. These members are being recognized at the plenary session for scientific achievements, for leadership, and for active participation in the affairs of ECS. Each year, up to 15 renowned scientists and engineers are chosen by their peers for this honor. Join us in celebrating the 2019 class of the Fellows of The Electrochemical Society. Full Story


How to simulate softness

How to simulate softness

August 30, 2019

UC San Diego researchers discovered clever tricks to design materials that replicate different levels of perceived softness. The findings provide fundamental insights into designing tactile materials and haptic interfaces that can recreate realistic touch sensations. Full Story


Darren Lipomi receives NSF grant to develop new materials for haptics and as tools for understanding the sense of touch

Darren Lipomi receives NSF grant to develop new materials for haptics and as tools for understanding the sense of touch

August 20, 2019

Mimicking fine-grained sensations of touch requires materials that can change their mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties in real time. The Lipomi lab will approach this task by developing a system of haptic devices based on materials that can create sensations that can be transformed dynamically--e.g., rough vs. smooth, hot vs. cold, and sticky vs. slimy. Leveraging the flexible, wearable nature of these "haptic biomaterials," the investigators will build a prototype haptic glove that will allow a human user to differentiate between virtual objects by touch. Full Story


Wearable Electrochemical Microneedle Sensor for Continuous Monitoring of Levodopa: Toward Parkinson Management

Wearable Electrochemical Microneedle Sensor for Continuous Monitoring of Levodopa: Toward Parkinson Management

August 12, 2019

A new wearable sensor could offer minimally invasive monitoring of the medication levodopa (L-Dopa) for patients with Parkinson's disease. The latest paper from the Laboratory for Nanobioelectronics led by Joseph Wang was published in ACS Sensors. The work could lead to treatments that optimize individual drug dosing and therefore improve disease symptoms. Full Story


Three UC San Diego Engineering Professors Receive Presidential Early Career Awards

Three UC San Diego Engineering Professors Receive Presidential Early Career Awards

July 3, 2019

Three faculty members at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering have been named recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. Full Story


Wearable cooling and heating patch could serve as personal thermostat and save energy

Wearable cooling and heating patch could serve as personal thermostat and save energy

May 17, 2019

UC San Diego engineers have developed a wearable patch that could provide personalized cooling and heating at home, work, or on the go. The soft, stretchy patch cools or warms a user’s skin to a comfortable temperature and keeps it there as the ambient temperature changes. It is powered by a flexible, stretchable battery pack and can be embedded in clothing. Researchers say wearing it could help save energy on air conditioning and heating. Full Story


Bioengineers are inducted into renowned biomedical engineering institute

Bioengineers are inducted into renowned biomedical engineering institute

March 25, 2019

Two researchers at Jacobs School of Engineering were inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the organization announced. Professors Pedro Cabrales and Todd Coleman from the Department of Bioengineering were recognized during a ceremony at the National Academy of Sciences Great Hall in Washington, DC, on March 25. Full Story


Printed sensors provide on the spot fentanyl detection

Printed sensors provide on the spot fentanyl detection

March 21, 2019

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed screen-printed sensors that could offer a faster, convenient and low-cost method to detect the drug fentanyl. The sensors can detect micromolar concentrations of fentanyl in just one minute. They are easy to produce, cost only a few cents apiece, and are disposable. Full Story


Review in Nature Biotechnology: Wearable biosensors for healthcare monitoring

Review in Nature Biotechnology: Wearable biosensors for healthcare monitoring

February 25, 2019

UC San Diego researchers at the Center for Wearable Sensors published a review article in the journal Nature Biotechnology cataloging state-of-the-art advances in wearable biosensors for healthcare monitoring. The review article also highlights areas where more research is necessary. Full Story


Engineers develop 3D-printed metamaterials that change mechanical properties under magnetic fields

Engineers develop 3D-printed metamaterials that change mechanical properties under magnetic fields

December 8, 2018

A team of researchers have developed an entirely new class of metamaterials that can nearly instantly respond and stiffen 3D printed structures when exposed to a magnetic field, a development that could be applied to next-generation helmets, wearable armor and a host of other innovations. Full Story


Center for Wearable Sensors Fall 2018 Research Summit

Center for Wearable Sensors Fall 2018 Research Summit

November 7, 2018

The Center for Wearable Sensors hosted its Fall 2018 Research Summit on Nov. 7. UC San Diego faculty gave talks on their CWS projects, ranging from wearable ultrasound patches to microelectrodes for monitoring brain activity. Full Story


Wearable ultrasound patch monitors blood pressure deep inside body

Wearable ultrasound patch monitors blood pressure deep inside body

September 12, 2018

A new wearable ultrasound patch that non-invasively monitors blood pressure in arteries deep beneath the skin could help people detect cardiovascular problems earlier on and with greater precision. In tests, the patch performed as well as some clinical methods to measure blood pressure. Applications include real-time, continuous monitoring of blood pressure changes in patients with heart or lung disease, as well as patients who are critically ill or undergoing surgery. The patch uses ultrasound, so it could potentially be used to non-invasively track other vital signs and physiological signals from places deep inside the body. Full Story


'Building up' stretchable electronics to be as multipurpose as your smartphone

'Building up' stretchable electronics to be as multipurpose as your smartphone

August 13, 2018

By connecting layers of stretchable circuits on top of one another, engineers have developed an approach to build soft “3D stretchable electronics” that can pack more functions while staying thin and small. As a proof of concept, the team built a multifunctional "smart bandage" that can be worn on the skin and used to wirelessly monitor an array of signals, from respiration, to body motion, to brain activity, and even remotely control a robotic arm. Full Story


UC San Diego nanoengineer named among MIT Technology Review's top innovators under 35

UC San Diego nanoengineer named among MIT Technology Review's top innovators under 35

June 29, 2018

MIT Technology Review has named Sheng Xu, a professor of nanoengineering at the University of California San Diego, as one of this year’s top innovators under 35. Xu is being recognized for inventing a clever way to make off-the-shelf electronics stretchable. Full Story


Clinical Trial Tests Tattoo Sensor as Needleless Glucose Monitor for Diabetes Patients

Clinical Trial Tests Tattoo Sensor as Needleless Glucose Monitor for Diabetes Patients

April 19, 2018

A temporary tattoo for glucose monitoring developed by engineers at UC San Diego is being tested in a phase I clinical trial. The study will test the tattoo sensor’s accuracy at detecting glucose levels compared to a traditional glucometer. The clinical trial is enrolling 50 adults, ages 18 to 75, with either type 1 or 2 diabetes or diabetes due to other causes. Full Story


Tiny injectable sensor could provide unobtrusive, long-term alcohol monitoring

Tiny injectable sensor could provide unobtrusive, long-term alcohol monitoring

April 10, 2018

Engineers have developed a tiny, ultra-low power chip that could be injected just under the surface of the skin for continuous, long-term alcohol monitoring. The chip is powered wirelessly by a wearable device such as a smartwatch or patch. The goal of this work is to develop a convenient, routine monitoring device for patients in substance abuse treatment programs.  Full Story


Flexible ultrasound patch could make it easier to inspect damage in odd-shaped structures

Flexible ultrasound patch could make it easier to inspect damage in odd-shaped structures

March 23, 2018

Researchers have developed a stretchable, flexible patch that could make it easier to perform ultrasound imaging on odd-shaped structures, such as engine parts, turbines, reactor pipe elbows and railroad tracks—objects that are difficult to examine using conventional ultrasound equipment. The ultrasound patch is a versatile and more convenient tool to inspect machine and building parts for defects and damage deep below the surface. Full Story


A wearable system to monitor the stomach's activity throughout the day

A wearable system to monitor the stomach's activity throughout the day

March 21, 2018

A team of researchers has developed a wearable, non-invasive system to monitor electrical activity in the stomach over 24 hours—essentially an electrocardiogram but for the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract.  Applications include monitoring GI activity for patients outside of a clinical setting, which cuts down costs. Monitoring for longer periods of time also increases the likelihood of capturing abnormal events.  Researchers detail their findings in the March 22 issue of Nature’s open access journal Scientific Reports. Full Story


Engineers develop most efficient red-light-activated switch that can turn genes on and off in mammalian cells

Engineers develop most efficient red-light-activated switch that can turn genes on and off in mammalian cells

March 12, 2018

A team of researchers has developed a light-activated switch that can turn genes on and off in mammalian cells. This is the most efficient so-called “optogenetic switch” activated by red and far-red light that has been successfully designed and tested in animal cells—and it doesn’t require the addition of light sensing molecules from outside the cells.   Full Story


Nano-ink-based sensors detect an eye blink

Nano-ink-based sensors detect an eye blink

January 31, 2018

Through developing a graphene-nanosheet-based ink, collaborators at the University of California ? San Diego and the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology have produced flexible, wearable, ultrathin sensors. Fabricated by printing multiple layers directly onto medical tape, the printed graphene sensors can be easily affixed to skin. Due to their high strain sensitivity, deformations to the sensor caused by subject movement can allow non-invasive health monitoring. Further, through combining multiple small sensor patches to make different geometries, the sensors accurately follow hand motions and can even monitor eye-blinking and pulse. Full Story


Less than skin deep: humans can feel molecular differences between nearly identical surfaces

Less than skin deep: humans can feel molecular differences between nearly identical surfaces

December 13, 2017

How sensitive is the human sense of touch? Sensitive enough to feel the difference between surfaces that differ by just a single layer of molecules, a team of researchers at the University of California San Diego has shown. Full Story


Smartphone case offers blood glucose monitoring on the go

Smartphone case offers blood glucose monitoring on the go

December 7, 2017

Engineers at the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors have developed a smartphone case and app that could make it easier for patients to record and track their blood glucose readings, whether they’re at home or on the go. Full Story


A fashionable chemical and biological threat detector-on-a-ring

A fashionable chemical and biological threat detector-on-a-ring

October 30, 2017

Wearable sensors are revolutionizing the tech-world, capable of tracking processes in the body, such as heart rates. They're even becoming fashionable Full Story


New dental imaging method uses squid ink to fish for gum disease

New dental imaging method uses squid ink to fish for gum disease

September 7, 2017

Squid ink might be a great ingredient to make black pasta, but it could also one day make getting checked for gum disease at the dentist less tedious and even painless. By combining squid ink with light and ultrasound, a team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a new dental imaging method to examine a patient’s gums that is non-invasive, more comprehensive and more accurate than the state of the art. Full Story


Stretchable biofuel cells extract energy from sweat to power wearable devices

Stretchable biofuel cells extract energy from sweat to power wearable devices

August 22, 2017

A team of engineers has developed stretchable fuel cells that extract energy from sweat and are capable of powering electronics, such as LEDs and Bluetooth radios. The biofuel cells generate 10 times more power per surface area than any existing wearable biofuel cells. The devices could be used to power a range of wearable devices.  Full Story


Engineers talk VR, AI and nanotechnology at San Diego Comic-Con

Engineers talk VR, AI and nanotechnology at San Diego Comic-Con

July 20, 2017

It’s not every day that engineers get to speak side by side with the people behind hit movies and TV series. But that is exactly what two engineering faculty members are doing this week at Comic-Con in San Diego.  Full Story


Low-cost smart glove converts signs of American Manual Alphabet to text

Low-cost smart glove converts signs of American Manual Alphabet to text

July 12, 2017

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a smart glove that wirelessly converts signs of the American Manual Alphabet into text and controls a virtual hand to mimic sign language gestures. The device, which engineers call “The Language of Glove,” was built for less than $100 using stretchable and printable electronics that are inexpensive, commercially available and easy to assemble. Full Story


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