Implant

Brain-implanted electrodes have numerous uses, ranging from the controlling of prosthetic arms to the monitoring of neural activity. They could soon be more effective than ever, as scientists have now developed ones that are soft and squishy.

While we frequently hear about the replacement of arthritic hips and knees with implants, wrists are another matter, as they're very complex joints. And although artificial wrists do exist, a new one is claimed to provide a fuller range of motion.

There's always a risk that implanted medical devices will get colonized with bacteria, causing infections and sometimes even needing to be removed. Such complications could soon be less likely, though, thanks to a new graphite nanoplatelet coating.

Keeping medical implants charged up can be tricky, but scientists in Saudi Arabia are putting forward a potential solution to this problem, developing a tiny implantable device that can be recharged through the skin wirelessly with ultrasound.

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have been working towards a one-size-fits all prosthetic heart valve, and have come up with a design they say works at a variety of diameters, and avoids the need for invasive surgeries as kids grow.

People living with Type 1 diabetes are faced with some daily hassles, such as finger-prick blood tests and insulin injections. An Israeli biomedical firm is now stating that such tasks may soon no longer be necessary, thanks to its prototype implant.

We've recently seen a number of battery-free implantable biosensors, that are activated by the handheld device that reads them. Scientists have now created another such sensor, that's smaller than any that have come before.

For a person with diabetes, monitoring blood glucose levels is an everyday hassle, usually involving finger pricks. A new prototype glucose monitor has been designed to power itself from that same glucose in bodily fluids.

Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed cancer traps that can be implanted just below the skin. In mouse tests, these traps caught biomarkers that can tell doctors if cancer is present, if it’s spreading or if it’s preparing to.

Although titanium implants are strong and light, they're subject to colonization by harmful microbes. Infections of the surrounding tissue can result. Now, however, research suggests that electrifying the titanium may provide a solution.

The Injectsense implant is designed to constantly monitor a glaucoma patient's intraocular pressure, transmitting readings to the cloud.

Researchers at EPFL have developed a new biodegradable circuit that can be implanted to deliver painkillers in the body on demand. When the device is heated up from a source outside the body, it releases a controlled dose of a drug, before safely dissolving away when it’s no longer needed.