SMART launches new research center to develop world’s first wearable ultrasound imaging system for real-time monitoring of chronic conditions
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Jun-2026 11:16 ET (3-Jun-2026 15:16 GMT/UTC)
The Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care (WITEC) project, led by SMART in collaboration with MIT, NTU, NUS and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, is developing the world’s first wearable ultrasound imaging system for continuous, real-time monitoring of chronic conditions such as hypertension and heart failure. Supported by advanced tools like Southeast Asia’s first sub-micrometre 3D printer and cutting-edge ultrasonic imaging technology, WITEC aims to shift healthcare from hospital-based interventions to proactive, home-based care, enabling earlier detection, personalised diagnosis and improved patient outcomes.
At the base of mossy trees, deep in the mountains of Taiwan and mainland Japan or nestled in the subtropical forests of Okinawa, grows what most might mistake for a mushroom – but what is actually a very unique plant with some of the smallest flowers and seeds in the world. With no chlorophyll to photosynthesize with and no root system to supply it with water from the ground, Balanophora has evolved a series of extreme traits to survive entirely as a parasite on the roots of specific trees. Some species and populations produce seeds only without fertilization (obligate agamospermy) – which is exceedingly rare in the plant kingdom.
Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Kobe University, and the University of Taipei have now joined forces to survey Balanophora across its sparse and inaccessible habitats, upending our understanding of photosynthesis loss in land plants, obligate agamospermy, and the role of the plastids.
Prof. Xinmei Hou and Prof. Tao Yang from the University of Science and Technology Beijing, together with Prof. Hongyang Wang from the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, present a systematic design and optimization strategy for the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE). This strategy covers the performance regulation of MEA core components (catalyst layer, anion exchange membrane, gas diffusion layer), interface engineering construction, and ordered structure innovation, providing theoretical support and technical references for the industrialization of high-efficiency, low-cost AEMWE technology. The work is published in Research with the title "Membrane Electrode Assembly Design for High-Efficiency Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis" (DOI: 10.34133/research.0907).
University of South Australia scientists have developed a powerful new way to uncover the genetic interactions that fuel cancer progression, paving the way for earlier and more precise treatments.
The University of Texas at Dallas has partnered with Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of technology consulting and digital solutions to enterprises across industries, to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, skill development and research.
UT Dallas has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tech Mahindra to facilitate collaboration with the India-based company, which opened its headquarters in the Americas in March in Plano, Texas.
The ubiquitous plastic beverage bottle makes up about half of plastic waste collected for recycling in the U.S. Most recycled plastic is processed domestically, but a portion is traded overseas. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign draws on citizen science data to investigate how the global plastic waste trade contributes to litter along coastlines and waterways in importing countries.