A new research article published in the Journal of Participatory Medicine unveils how successive waves of digital technology innovation have empowered patients, fostering a more collaborative and responsive health care system. The paper, titled "From Internet to Artificial Intelligence (Al) Bots: Symbiotic Evolutions of Digital Technologies and e-Patients," explores the symbiotic evolution of digital health tools and the increasingly engaged e-patient.

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have built the world’s first automated cyborg insect “factory line”. Supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), this new prototype robotic system automates the attachment of miniature electronic backpacks on the back of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, turning them into insect-hybrid robots. This new assembly method significantly reduces preparation time and human error, marking a big step towards large-scale deployment of insect-hybrid robots in complex environments for search and rescue efforts in disaster zones. Led by Professor Hirotaka Sato from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NTU Singapore, the automated system can attach the electronic “backpacks” to Madagascar hissing cockroaches in just 1 minute and 8 seconds per insect. This is about 60 times faster than the traditional manual process dependent on trained operators, which often takes more than an hour. When processing four insects, the system completed all assemblies in under 8 minutes, about 30 times quicker than manual methods.

Technological advancements have profoundly transformed the sports domain, ushering it into the digital era. Services leveraging big data in intelligent sports—encompassing performance analytics, training statistical evaluations and metrics—have become indispensable. These tools are vital in aiding athletes with their daily training regimens and in devising sophisticated competition strategies, proving crucial in the pursuit of victory. Despite their potential, wearable electronic devices used for motion monitoring are subject to several limitations, including prohibitive cost, extensive energy usage, incompatibility with individual spatial structures, and flawed data analysis methodologies. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have become instrumental in the development of self-powered devices/systems owing to their remarkable capacity to harnessing ambient high-entropy energy from the environment. This paper provides a thorough review of the advancements and emerging trends in TENG-based intelligent sports, focusing on physiological data monitoring, sports training performance, event refereeing assistance, and sports injury prevention and rehabilitation. Excluding the potential influence of sports psychological factors, this review provides a detailed discourse on present challenges and prospects for boosting smart sports with energy autonomy and digital intelligence. This study presents innovative insights and motivations for propelling the evolution of intelligent sports toward a more sustainable and efficient future for humanity.

A new soft actuator moves and stiffens like biological muscle. The muscles, or actuators, are constructed from low-cost, 3D-printed rubbers. Engineers integrated three actuators as ‘muscles’ into a human-sized robotic leg with 3D-printed rigid ‘bones’ and elastic ‘tendons’.