In 2024, biomedical expertise actually bought to our heads—or extra particularly, our eyes and brains. Some of Spectrum’s hottest articles this yr had been about expertise aiding our imaginative and prescient, with tales of retinal implants and sensible contact lenses drawing your eye. You dug deep into non-invasive tech to hasten sleep and protect mind perform for individuals with Alzheimer’s illness, in addition to an imaging probe to assist extremely invasive mind surgical procedures.
But 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 approach 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 greatest tales. Read on to see Spectrum’s prime biomedical articles of 2024.
Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering
Assistive frames known as exosuits may also help individuals in bodily remedy and rehabilitation transfer their physique. The units work by shifting a consumer’s muscular tissues by way of electrical pulses, however that stimulation can rapidly tire out the consumer. Researchers in South Korea and Switzerland are providing a possible resolution: an electrostatic clutch system. In the system, sleeves are positioned round joints and usually versatile, however can quickly stiffen to help the physique between actions with out extra stimulation. The expertise, known as “Synapsuit,” is being prototyped by the Korea Electronics Technology 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 units when the producer went out of enterprise. That story got here near repeating when French biotech firm Pixium Vision 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 one in every of Neuralink’s cofounders.
Elemind
Startup Elemind’s $349 headband guarantees to get you to sleep quicker. The firm’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 examined out the headscarf, although in less-than-ideal situations. “It wasn’t the time or place to try for sound sleep, but I—and the others in the room—noted that after 2 minutes I was yawning like crazy.”
Getty Images
Elon Musk has made daring claims in regards to 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 system was designated a breakthrough system by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September—however specialists instructed Spectrum it possible received’t reside as much as Musk’s hype.
Greg Mably
For individuals with psychological well being situations like bipolar dysfunction, it’s necessary to control their temper. Smartphone apps might be able to just do that, offering goal perception about our inside state from information collected with none consumer enter. Unlike conventional mood-tracking apps and logs, these apps quietly collect information within the background a couple of consumer’s habits. But, whereas promising, they face challenges, together with privateness considerations and a necessity for rigorous scientific validation.
St. Michael’s Foundation
When treating aneurysms and strokes, neurosurgeons sometimes need to make do with blurry pictures. But that will quickly change, due to a new fiber-optic imaging probe. The probe winds by means of the maze of mind arteries, capturing high-resolution pictures of the mind to information surgeons. “Whereas before … clinicians had a satellite-like view of the brain’s vasculature network, now they have a Google Street 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 Images
Current MRI scanners are costly and require highly effective magnets and numerous 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. But 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 point out proof that stimulating the mind at sure frequencies may benefit individuals dwelling with Alzheimer’s illness. According 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 possible proceed for the subsequent few years, although some corporations are already providing “wellness” merchandise that ship gamma frequency gentle or sound stimulation.
Edmon de Haro
Our information is piling up rapidly. In reality, it’s rising quicker than our storage functionality will be capable of deal with in just some years. That’s why some organizations are taking steps towards constructing 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 gives significantly better storage density; in accordance with one estimate, all 120 zettabytes of data on the Internet might be saved in a quantity of DNA the dimensions of a sugar dice. Now, researchers search methods to effectively learn and write massive volumes of DNA information.
Erfan Pourshaban
Smart contact lenses may have varied shopper and medical makes use of—measuring glucose ranges, delivering remedy for ocular illness, and even appearing as a show for augmented actuality. But how do you energy a tool sitting on one of the vital delicate elements of the human physique? Researchers on the University of Utah created a hybrid energy-generation unit that attracts vitality from gentle and tears: While the eyes are open, tiny, versatile photo voltaic cells comprised of silicon seize gentle from the solar and synthetic sources. Then, actually within the blink of a watch, a second system acts like a metal-air battery, with electrolytes in tears serving as a biofuel. The mixture permits for steady energy technology and provides sufficient vitality for sensible contacts.
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