🫀World's smallest injectable pacemaker, faster EV battery charging at freezing temperature, scientists merge ‘impossible’ materials

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Engineers at Northwestern University have created a highly advanced, ultra-miniature pacemaker designed for injection via a syringe. It is designed for temporary pacing and can dissolve harmlessly afterward.

This new device is beneficial for infants suffering from congenital heart defects as it provides a less invasive alternative when traditional pacemakers are needed.

The device is smaller than a grain of rice and can be paired with a soft, flexible, wireless wearable designed to be attached to the patient’s chest. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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MUST-READ

🫀World's smallest injectable pacemaker powers itself using body fluids

The wearable thermostatic device monitors the heartbeat of the individual. Upon detecting an irregularity in the heartbeat, it delivers a light pulse that penetrates the skin, triggering the implanted pacemaker.

“We have developed what is, to our knowledge, the world’s smallest pacemaker,” said Northwestern bioelectronics pioneer John A. Rogers, who led the device development.

“Our major motivation was children,” added study co-lead Igor Efimov. “About 1% of children are born with congenital heart defects — regardless of whether they live in a low-resource or high-resource country. The good news is that these children only need temporary pacing after a surgery. Now, we can place this tiny pacemaker on a child’s heart and stimulate it with a soft, gentle, wearable device. And no additional surgery is necessary to remove it.”

⚛️ Quantum 'sandwich' achieved by fusing two impossible materials

Researchers led by Rutgers University-New Brunswick have successfully merged two lab-synthesized materials—each previously deemed “impossible”—into a microscopic sandwich that exhibits rare properties crucial for quantum computing.

This breakthrough unites dysprosium titanate (“spin ice”) with pyrochlore iridate (“magnetic semimetal”), building a layered atomic structure that defies longstanding assumptions in quantum physics.

The team, led by Claud Lovelace Endowed Professor Jak Chakhalian from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, spent four years continuously experimenting before unveiling a method to create the slice-like assembly.

🔋 500% faster EV battery charging achieved at freezing temperature

The University of Michigan engineers have developed a modified manufacturing process for electric vehicle (EV) batteries that significantly enhances charging speeds in cold weather. The innovation addresses one of the biggest concerns for EV adoption—reduced efficiency in low temperatures.

“We envision this approach as something that EV battery manufacturers could adopt without major changes to existing factories,” said Neil Dasgupta, U-M associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering.

The lithium-ion batteries using this method can charge 500% faster even at temperatures as low as 14 °F (-10 °C).

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