New research findings suggest mild blast trauma suffered by military personnel affects portions of the auditory system that have not been extensively studied after injuries occur, and this impairment might be diagnosed using well-established testing methods.

The Oncological Sciences Center at Purdue University’s Discovery Park and Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center have created a collaboration that utilizes the resources of each organization in an effort to develop a device to create a less invasive means of detecting prostate cancer.

Purdue University researchers are developing software in a “haptic device” that could give people with visual impairments the ability to identify scientific images on a computer screen using their other senses.

A student team from Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering will participate in the prestigious Rice Business Plan Competition in April. The same team brought home $15K for their second place finish at Purdue's 30th Burton D. Morgan Business Plan Competition.

Purdue Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering graduate student Orlando Hoilett won first place prize in the Connect the World Using IoT student design challenge. He designed a multi-function fitness band, dubbed KiSens A Multi-Sensor Fitness Band, and won a MacBook for the winning proposal. The device is a wearable biometrics sensor that monitors dehydration, heart rate, blood oxygenation, skin temperature, and humidity--important biomarkers for health and fitness.

About 250 people packed the Herman and Heddy Kurz Purdue Technology Center for the recent Purdue Technology Showcase that featured dozens of pioneering innovations. The technology ranged from medical devices including a hands-free crutch design and an advanced wheelchair that converts to a walker, to analytical tools including an application that can interpret gang graffiti for law enforcement officials.

Brad Duerstock, an associate professor of engineering practice, and colleagues have developed a device that enables people with visual impairments to interpret images from a microscope in real-time. The touch-feedback device, featured in New Scientist magazine, is a promising assistive technology for visually impaired students and scientists in STEM careers.

Chi Hwan Lee, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering, has received a $110,000 grant, renewable on an annual basis, from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The grant supports his work to develop flexible probes for use in neural sensing and interfacing on the brain. The probes consist of vertically ordered semiconducting silicon arrays that can transmit electrical signals with high signal-to-noise ratio.

Young Kim, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, has received a $110,000 grant, renewable on an annual basis, from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The grant supports his work on silk-based fibers for fabrication of flexible and multifunctional nanomaterial fabrics for use as biosensing and therapeutic platforms.