Magnetic

​When it comes to conditions that require patients to administer daily injections or take lots of pills, scientists are increasingly looking to drug-dispensing implants as a more convenient alternative. One of the latest such devices is activated simply by passing a magnet over the skin.

​​While many cyclists use clipless pedals, other riders hate the idea of being mechanically attached like that. That's why David Williams and his team first created Maglock pedals. Now, he's back with a smaller, lighter and less expensive version known as the Vault.​

Engineers from the University of California, San Diego​ have brought together a couple of nascent technologies that could result in inexpensive and long-lasting electronic devices. The team created a magnetic ink that can print a variety of self-healing components.

Magnets are typically made via a costly injection molding process. Scientists, however, often just need a few of them in specific shapes. Thankfully for them, an Austrian team has developed a method of 3D printing magnets in any form desired.​

Japanese researchers have developed a device that can switch between insulating/non-magnet and metallic/magnet states simultaneously by electrochemical reaction at room temperature, with one potential application​ in flash storage that could double capacity.

The days of the rackety, energy-gobbling refrigerator may be numbered with the advent of more efficient systems that cool with the use of magnets. Cooltech Applications has launched the first magnetic refrigeration system (MRS) for commercial use.​​

While non-invasive approaches such as physical therapy can work for treating fecal incontinence, sometimes the only course of action is to perform a colostomy. That said, Torax Medical has developed another option, in the form of its FENIX Continence Restoration System.

A boiler tube wall-climbing cleaning robot has been specifically created to replace humans in the harsh and hazardous environment inside electric power stations.

MagLOCKs are platform pedals that keep the user's feet in place using magnets instead of the mechanisms used in "clipless" pedals. We recently had a chance to try them out, and generally liked what they had to offer.​

​We've already seen magnets and clips used in products that let cyclists do away with their water bottle cage. The problem with both systems is that they require users to stick with a brand-specific bottle. With the new SnapFlask, however, riders can use any bottle they want.

Working with a new magnetic insulator material with unusual atomic properties, scientists at Stanford University have observed electrical conduction in a non-conductive material that may lead to superior magnetic memory devices.

MIT's new compact tokamak fusion reactor design is based on the latest magnetic superconductor technology. The ARC (affordable, robust, compact) reactor design promises smaller, cheaper reactors that could make fusion power practical within 10 years.