Ultrasound

3D printing typically involves depositing layers of molten plastic, laser-melting powdered metal, or using UV light to harden gelatinous resin. A new technique takes yet another approach, however, by utilizing sound waves.

Scientists have demonstrated a novel approach to tackling arterial plaque that relies on laser, ultrasound and exploding microbubbles to destroy it with greater safety and efficiency, while hinting at unique long-term advantages.

Along with providing users with sights and sounds, some VR systems also deliver tactile sensation to the hands. A new ultrasound-based setup, however, lets users feel the virtual world on and in their mouths – without making physical contact.

University of Michigan researchers have been exploring how ultrasound can combine with the body's immune defenses to take out tumors through a one-two punch, with a new study on rodents returning some highly promising results.

When a pacemaker's battery gets low, the whole implant typically has to be surgically replaced. Scientists are therefore developing a noninvasive battery recharging system, which utilizes externally applied ultrasound.

Promising research raises the possibility of treating diabetes without drugs. Across three animal models researchers have demonstrated how bursts of ultrasound targeted at specific clusters of nerves in the liver can lower insulin and glucose levels.

An article is reporting on the first 19 humans treated with a new non-invasive method designed to break up kidney stones using sound waves. The method successfully fragmented most kidney stones, promising a non-surgical way to treat patients.

Researchers have demonstrated that a new kind of ultrasound scan can diagnose prostate cancer with accuracy equal to costly MRIs. The findings offer an easier way to quickly test patients for clinically-significant prostate cancers.

Haptic feedback can give virtual experiences an extra dimension, but it’s hard to achieve. Tech startup Emerge has now unveiled the Emerge Wave-1, a device that pairs with a VR headset and emits ultrasonic waves that let users feel virtual objects.

Spawning in captivity can be hard on abalone, as aquaculture operators have to periodically yank the molluscs off the insides of their tanks to inspect their gonads. Things could soon get kinder and gentler, however, thanks to the use of ultrasound.

Scientists experimenting with a cutting-edge ultrasound technique have come up with a groundbreaking way to measure the elasticity of materials at a microscopic scale, by tracking sound waves as they bounce across individual crystals.

Currently, devices such as pacemakers and deep-brain-stimulating electrodes have to be surgically implanted within patients' bodies. According to a new study, however, such implants may someday be replaced with cells that are activated by ultrasound.