In 2024, biomedical expertise actually obtained to our heads—or extra particularly, our eyes and brains. A few of Spectrum’s hottest articles this yr had been about expertise aiding our imaginative and prescient, with tales of retinal implants and good contact lenses drawing your eye. You dug deep into non-invasive tech to hasten sleep and protect mind perform for folks with Alzheimer’s illness, in addition to an imaging probe to assist extremely invasive mind surgical procedures.
Nevertheless it wasn’t all in our heads. This yr, you additionally examine assistive exosuits and low-cost MRI machines, in addition to a DNA information drive promising a brand new strategy to save huge quantities of data.
As we wait to see how new expertise will increase our senses or enhance our well being in 2025, take a minute to look again on the previous yr’s largest tales. Learn on to see Spectrum’s prime biomedical articles of 2024.
Wyss Middle for Bio and Neuroengineering
Assistive frames known as exosuits might help folks in bodily remedy and rehabilitation transfer their physique. The units work by shifting a person’s muscle tissues by way of electrical pulses, however that stimulation can shortly tire out the person. Researchers in South Korea and Switzerland are providing a possible answer: an electrostatic clutch system. Within the system, sleeves are positioned round joints and usually versatile, however can quickly stiffen to assist the physique between actions with out further stimulation. The expertise, known as “Synapsuit,” is being prototyped by the Korea Electronics Know-how Institute.
Pixium
In 2022, contributor Mark Harris detailed how blind customers of a retinal implant made by California biotech firm Second Sight had been left with unsupported devices when the producer went out of enterprise. That story got here near repeating when French biotech firm Pixium Imaginative and prescient ran out of cash in November 2023—till, that’s, spectacular trial information arrived earlier this yr, and the corporate was acquired by Science, a startup run by certainly one of Neuralink’s cofounders.
Elemind
Startup Elemind’s $349 headband guarantees to get you to sleep quicker. The corporate’s first product, which started preorders this yr, tracks mind waves with electrocephalography (EEG) sensors, then tweaks them with sound waves delivered by way of bone conduction. Spectrum’s esteemed former editor Tekla Perry briefly tested out the headband, although in less-than-ideal situations. “It wasn’t the time or place to attempt for sound sleep, however I—and the others within the room—famous that after 2 minutes I used to be yawning like loopy.”
Getty Photographs
Elon Musk has made daring claims concerning the coming capabilities of Neuralink Blindsight, his firm’s visible prosthesis aiming to revive imaginative and prescient in individuals who have misplaced sight in each eyes. The gadget was designated a breakthrough gadget by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration in September—however consultants advised Spectrum it probably won’t live up to Musk’s hype.
Greg Mably
For folks with psychological well being situations like bipolar dysfunction, it’s essential to regulate their temper. Smartphone apps might be able to do exactly that, offering goal perception about our interior state from information collected with none person enter. In contrast to conventional mood-tracking apps and logs, these apps quietly collect information within the background a few person’s habits. However, whereas promising, they face challenges, together with privateness issues and a necessity for rigorous scientific validation.
St. Michael’s Basis
When treating aneurysms and strokes, neurosurgeons sometimes must make do with blurry photographs. However which will quickly change, because of a new fiber-optic imaging probe. The probe winds by the maze of mind arteries, capturing high-resolution photographs of the mind to information surgeons. “Whereas earlier than … clinicians had a satellite-like view of the mind’s vasculature community, now they’ve a Google Avenue View-like perspective,” writes contributor Elie Dolgin. The probe has been examined in scientific trials at two hospitals in Toronto and Buenos Aires, and a startup is aiming to convey the expertise to market.
Getty Photographs
Present MRI scanners are costly and require highly effective magnets and lots of vitality to energy. With the machines sometimes solely present in specialised hospital facilities, MRIs are inaccessible for greater than two-thirds of the worldwide inhabitants. However a new, simplified full-body MRI scanner works at a fraction of the associated fee and 1,800 watts, in comparison with 25 kilowatts or extra. The machine makes use of AI to match the picture high quality of conventional MRI scanners with a lot much less highly effective magnets.
Tsai Laboratory/MIT Picower Institute
Early scientific trials are starting to indicate proof that stimulating the mind at sure frequencies could benefit people living with Alzheimer’s disease. In response to a crew of researchers at MIT, sound and light-weight oscillations at 40-hertz energetic a neural-cleansing course of that helps take away beta-amyloid, the protein that clumps collectively within the brains of these with Alzheimer’s. The non-invasive remedy is at present being examined in randomized trials, and analysis will probably proceed for the following few years, although some corporations are already providing “wellness” merchandise that ship gamma frequency mild or sound stimulation.
Edmon de Haro
Our information is piling up shortly. Actually, it’s rising quicker than our storage functionality will be capable to deal with in only a few years. That’s why some organizations are taking steps towards building a DNA drive to retailer the deluge of information, instead of magnetic tape and disk drives. With every DNA base (A, T, G, and C) appearing as a bit, DNA affords significantly better storage density; based on one estimate, all 120 zettabytes of data on the Web could possibly be saved in a quantity of DNA the scale of a sugar dice. Now, researchers search methods to effectively learn and write massive volumes of DNA information.
Erfan Pourshaban
Sensible contact lenses may have numerous shopper and medical makes use of—measuring glucose ranges, delivering remedy for ocular illness, and even appearing as a show for augmented actuality. However how do you energy a tool sitting on one of the crucial delicate elements of the human physique? Researchers on the College of Utah created a hybrid energy-generation unit that draws energy from light and tears: Whereas the eyes are open, tiny, versatile photo voltaic cells comprised of silicon seize mild from the solar and synthetic sources. Then, actually within the blink of an eye fixed, a second system acts like a metal-air battery, with electrolytes in tears serving as a biofuel. The mix permits for steady energy era and provides sufficient vitality for good contacts.
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