Sudden infant death syndrome, or crib death, is responsible in the United States for around 2,225 deaths a year of children from birth to 12 months. But German researchers have developed a stretchable, printed circuit board that could be fitted into a one-piece sleeper and would signal an alarm if a baby stops breathing. Investigators at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin have figured out how to make the flexible, wearable circuit board from polyurethane, a plastic often used as a sealant. They fitted it with sensors that monitor breathing in the chest and stomach areas, and ironed it onto baby-size PJs.

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Attention Iron Man fans. Powered suits of armor like the one designed by fictional industrialist/engineer Tony Stark may soon save or improve the lives of real people. In 2011, a motorized exoskeleton created by engineering students at the University of California, Berkeley allowed classmate Austin Whitney to walk across the stage to receive his diploma. Now, English athlete Claire Lomas is making medical history as the first paraplegic to use an exoskeleton to get around home and town.

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Tags: athelete, Biomedical, Claire Lomas, Electrical, exoskeleton, London Marathon, Paralympics, ReWalk, robotic suit, Robotics

Scholarships that target students interested in engineering provide an excellent way to help pay for the rising costs of higher education. Since engineering scholarships are plentiful and come from a variety of sources, such as corporations, non-profits, foundations, institutions, and governmental bodies, future engineers have a host of opportunities available to them.

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Filed under: Aerospace, Agricultural, Architectural, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Explore Engineering, Industrial / Manufacturing, Materials, Mechanical, Mining, Nuclear, Ocean, Scholarships, Transportation, e-News | 5 Comments »

Tags: Awards, Scholarships, Scholarships and Fellowships

There are garage start-ups and then there’s the wood-shop-turned-invention-factory in the garage where Jack Andraka, 15, dreamed up a prize-winning science fair project that could change how cancer is detected and treated.

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Filed under: Biomedical, Chemical, Materials, e-News | 1 Comment »

Tags: Biomedical, cancer, grand champion, Intel Science and Engineering Fair, ISEF, Jack Andraka, nanotube

Gabrielle Palermo, Susanna Young, and Clay Tyler assembling a G3Box. Photo Courtesy Arizona State University

Ever dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur? If so, you’re in good company – over half of U.S. millennials (ages 18 to 34) say they want to start a business or already have done so, according to a recent survey from the Kaufmann Foundation. Even more exciting is the fact that nowadays, starting a business does not necessitate leaving school, as more and more universities are striving to accommodate entrepreneurial students.

In this new eGFI blog series, we bring you four inspiring stories of undergraduate engineering students who have successfully patented their original ideas, teamed up with classmates and professors to launch businesses, and navigated the startup world, all while keeping up with their coursework.

So step aside, Bill Gates – the days of dropout turned entrepreneur may be numbered.

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Tags: Biomedical, Environmental, Giving Back, Student Inventors