Like a growing vine, a new robotic gripper can snake around and lift a variety of objects, including a glass vase and a watermelon, offering a gentler approach than conventional gripper designs. A larger version of the robo-tendrils can also safely lift a human out of bed. 

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, announces the recipient of the 2026 SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship in Problem-Driven Biomedical Optics and Analytics.

Researchers at Brown University have developed a wearable sensor that uses polarized light to improve the accuracy of photoplethysmography (PPG) signals across different skin tones. Conventional pulse oximeters often underperform on darker skin due to light absorption and scattering by melanin. The new device combines two wavelengths with cross-polarized detection to reduce superficial scattering and enhance deeper vascular signals. In tests with volunteers of light, medium, and brown skin tones, cross-polarization significantly increased perfusion index—a measure of signal strength—compared to co-polarized detection. This approach could help make wearable health technologies more equitable and reliable.

 

 Tufts University, a leader in research and innovation at the intersection of science, engineering and food policy, will host its fourth annual Future of Food Innovation Day on January 8, 2026 at the Joyce Cummings Center in Medford, Mass.

SAN ANTONIO — December 10, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Trinity University will study Thermus thermophilus, a thermal bacterium with highly stable proteins, to advance scientific understanding of stability mechanisms that could pave the way for advanced treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS and cancer. The project is supported by SwRI and Trinity through a new grant program designed to encourage collaborative research.

New psychoactive substances, originally developed as potential analgesics but abandoned due to adverse side effects, may still have pharmaceutical value if researchers could nail down the causes of those side effects. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used deep learning and large-scale computer simulations to identify structural differences in synthetic cannabinoid molecules that cause them to bind to human brain receptors differently from classical cannabinoids.

A research paper by scientists at Shanghai Jiao Tong University presented a novel integrated piezoelectric module (IPEM) based on a piezoelectric ceramic element designed specifically for bio-membrane puncture and insertion applications.

The research paper, published on Oct. 21, 2025 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.