Toggle light / dark theme

Electrogenetics Study Finds We Could One Day Control Our Genes With Wearables

The team used acupuncture needles to deliver the trigger for 10 seconds a day, and the blood sugar levels in the mice returned to normal within a month. The rodents even regained the ability to manage blood sugar levels after a large meal without the need for external insulin, a normally difficult feat.

Called “electrogenetics,” these interfaces are still in their infancy. But the team is especially excited for their potential in wearables to directly guide therapeutics for metabolic and potentially other disorders. Because the setup requires very little power, three AA batteries could trigger a daily insulin shot for more than five years, they said.

The study is the latest to connect the body’s analogue controls—gene expression—with digital and programmable software such as smartphone apps. The system is “a leap forward, representing the missing link that will enable wearables to control genes in the not-so-distant future,” said the team.

Humane will share more about its mysterious “Ai Pin” the same day as October’s eclipse

Circle October 14th on your calendar for a solar eclipse and news about Humane’s AI Pin.

Humane, a startup founded by ex-Apple employees, plans to share more about its mysterious AI-powered wearable on the same day as a solar eclipse in October, co-founder Imran Chaudhri said in a video on the company’s Discord (via Inverse.

The device, officially called the “Humane AI Pin” (in the Discord video, Chaudhri pronounces that middle word like you would say the word AI), is being promoted as something that can replace your smartphone. In a wild demo at this year’s TED conference, Chaudhri uses the device, which is somehow attached to his jacket at… More.


We still have a lot of questions about the device.

John M Smart — A.I., “Inner Space,” and Accelerating Change

Thoughts on the future of artificial intelligence, universal accelerating change, “inner space,” Google, the metaverse, the wearable web, technology evaluation and empowerment, and cybertwins, including “digital mom”. SIAI Interview, Oct 2007. Filmed by Doug Wolens, I-MagineMedia, author of the excellent new documentary The Singularity, 2012. This is one of my favorite short interviews. Hope you like it!

Scientists pave the way to gene control through wearable devices

Scientists claim to have uncovered the “missing link” that could pave the way for wearable electronic devices to control genes.

Wearable devices utilize biosensors to gather an individual’s data, including heart rate, blood pressure, sleep patterns, activity, and temperature, among other metrics.

Wearable electronic devices are playing an increasingly significant role in personalized medicine. However, they’re not yet capable of directly programming gene-based therapies, as explained in an article by a group of researchers from ETH Zurich, a public research university in Zürich, Switzerland.

New transparent metadevices based on quasi-1D surface plasmon polariton structures

Transparent electronic devices could have numerous valuable real-world applications. Among other things, they could enable the creation of new optical devices, smart gear or wearables, invisible solar panels and integrated communication systems.

Researchers at Xidian University, Southeast University and Wuhan University of Technology recently developed new, highly promising, transparent metadevices based on quasi-one-dimensional surface plasmon polariton (quasi-1D SPP) structures. These devices, introduced in a paper published in Nature Electronics, could be used to develop optically and radiofrequency transparent wireless and other .

“Transparent and invisible electronic is a fascinating goal that scientists and engineers are enthusiastically pursuing,” Prof. Bian Wu, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Tech Xplore. “Currently, typically rely on the intrinsic properties of optically conductive materials, which are not radiofrequency transparent and have low operating efficiency. SSPs can be used to concentrate, channel and enhance energy. However, the use of SPPs in the development of optical and radiofrequency transparency remains blank.”

An electrogenetic interface to program mammalian gene expression by direct current

Thoughts?


Wearable electronic devices are playing a rapidly expanding role in the acquisition of individuals’ health data for personalized medical interventions; however, wearables cannot yet directly program gene-based therapies because of the lack of a direct electrogenetic interface. Here we provide the missing link by developing an electrogenetic interface that we call direct current (DC)-actuated regulation technology (DART), which enables electrode-mediated, time-and voltage-dependent transgene expression in human cells using DC from batteries. DART utilizes a DC supply to generate non-toxic levels of reactive oxygen species that act via a biosensor to reversibly fine-tune synthetic promoters.

Innovative Liquid Cushioning Technology Promises Revolution in Safety Gear

New breakthrough in material design will help football players, car occupants, and hospital patients.

A significant breakthrough in the field of protective gear has been made with the discovery that football players were unknowingly acquiring permanent brain damage from repeated head impacts throughout their professional careers. This realization triggered an urgent search for better head protection solutions. Among these innovations is nanofoam, a material found inside football helmets.

Thanks to mechanical and aerospace engineering associate professor Baoxing Xu at the University of Virginia and his research team, nanofoam just received a big upgrade and protective sports equipment could, too. This newly invented design integrates nanofoam with “non-wetting ionized liquid,” a form of water that Xu and his research team now know blends perfectly with nanofoam to create a liquid cushion. This versatile and responsive material will give better protection to athletes and is promising for use in protecting car occupants and aiding hospital patients using wearable medical devices.

SMART ePANTS Program Pursuing Advanced Smart Textiles for Intelligence Community, DoD, DHS

Not surprisingly, the Intelligence Community (IC), Department of Defense (DoD), and first responders at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies are also interested in wearable electronics. With its Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems (SMART ePANTS) program, the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) is delivering the largest single investment ever made1 to make Advanced Smart Textiles2 (AST) a reality.

According to SMART ePANTS Program Manager, Dr. Dawson Cagle, developing clothing with sensor systems that can record audio, video, and geolocation data would significantly improve the capabilities of IC, DoD, DHS staff, and others working in dangerous or high-stress environments, such as crime scenes and arms control inspections. Dr. Cagle also asserted that ASTs could collect information one doesn’t notice, which would increase job effectiveness.