In 2024, biomedical expertise actually acquired 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 sensible contact lenses drawing your eye. You dug deep into non-invasive tech to hasten sleep and protect mind operate for individuals with Alzheimer’s illness, in addition to an imaging probe to assist extremely invasive mind surgical procedures.
But it surely 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 knowledge.
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 Heart for Bio and Neuroengineering
Assistive frames known as exosuits might help individuals in bodily remedy and rehabilitation transfer their physique. The units work by transferring a consumer’s muscle mass by way of electrical pulses, however that stimulation can shortly tire out the consumer. Researchers in South Korea and Switzerland are providing a possible resolution: an electrostatic clutch system. Within the system, sleeves are positioned round joints and usually versatile, however can quickly stiffen to help 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 units 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 one in all 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 examined out the headscarf, although in less-than-ideal circumstances. “It wasn’t the time or place to strive 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 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 gadget was designated a breakthrough gadget by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration in September—however consultants informed Spectrum it doubtless received’t reside as much as Musk’s hype.
Greg Mably
For individuals with psychological well being circumstances like bipolar dysfunction, it’s essential to control their temper. Smartphone apps could possibly just do that, offering goal perception about our interior state from information collected with none consumer enter. Not like conventional mood-tracking apps and logs, these apps quietly collect information within the background a few consumer’s conduct. However, whereas promising, they face challenges, together with privateness issues and a necessity for rigorous medical validation.
St. Michael’s Basis
When treating aneurysms and strokes, neurosurgeons usually need to make do with blurry pictures. However that will quickly change, because of a new fiber-optic imaging probe. The probe winds via the maze of mind arteries, capturing high-resolution pictures 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 Road View-like perspective,” writes contributor Elie Dolgin. The probe has been examined in medical trials at two hospitals in Toronto and Buenos Aires, and a startup is aiming to deliver the expertise to market.
Getty Photographs
Present MRI scanners are costly and require highly effective magnets and a variety of power to energy. With the machines usually 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 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 medical trials are starting to indicate proof that stimulating the mind at sure frequencies may gain advantage individuals residing with Alzheimer’s illness. In response to a staff 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 presently being examined in randomized trials, and analysis will doubtless proceed for the subsequent few years, although some firms are already providing “wellness” merchandise that ship gamma frequency gentle or sound stimulation.
Edmon de Haro
Our information is piling up shortly. The truth is, it’s rising quicker than our storage functionality will have the ability to deal with in only a few 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 affords a lot better storage density; in response to one estimate, all 120 zettabytes of knowledge on the Web may very well be saved in a quantity of DNA the dimensions of a sugar dice. Now, researchers search methods to effectively learn and write giant volumes of DNA information.
Erfan Pourshaban
Good contact lenses might have varied client and medical makes use of—measuring glucose ranges, delivering treatment for ocular illness, and even appearing as a show for augmented actuality. However how do you energy a tool sitting on probably the most delicate elements of the human physique? Researchers on the College of Utah created a hybrid energy-generation unit that attracts power from gentle and tears: Whereas the eyes are open, tiny, versatile photo voltaic cells constructed from 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 power for sensible contacts.
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