Robotic skins turn everyday objects into multifunctional robots

Boot et al. OmniSkins: Robotic skins that turn inanimate objects into multifunctional robots. Science Robotics, September 2018.

When you think of a robot, you likely think of a rigid and heavy electronic machine, one made for a specific purpose. Researchers recently developed a new technology that can make a flexible robot with countless uses possible. This technology can turn any everyday object into a robot. New “Robotic Skins” are made from sensors and actuators on an elastic sheet. Once the sheets are placed onto an object, such as a stuffed animal, the robotic skin can animate them from their surfaces. The sensors and actuators can then be programmed to perform different tasks based on the properties of the soft objects and how the skins are applied. Moreover, adding multiple sheets can increase or change functionality. To test the robotic skins in action, the researchers have produced several prototypes including foam cylinders that move like an inchworm, a shirt-like wearable device designed to correct poor posture, and a device with a gripper that can grasp and move objects. Robots are typically single-purpose devices, and the key finding here is that the robotic skins will allow users to turn pretty much any object into multi-functional robots. This technology will enable the wide application of multi-functional robots without the huge investment necessary to produce a robot from scratch. While the robotic skins may not be immediately ready for commercial use, they definitely hold promise in terms of what we can do with robotics in the future.

Battling dementia by removing “zombie” cells

Bussian et al. Clearance of senescent glial cells prevents tau-dependent pathology and cognitive decline., Nature, September 2018.

Scientists have identified a new target in the fight against dementia and age-related cognitive disorders. This new “enemy” is zombie cells (also known as senescent cells). Zombie cells typically stop dividing but they don’t die and accumulate with aging in the brain. Scientists have long known that zombie cells accumulate in regions of the brain linked to age-dependent diseases ranging from osteoarthritis and atherosclerosis, to Parkinson’s and dementia. Previous work had also shown that the elimination of senescent cells in aging mice extended their healthy lifespan. But the new study is the first to demonstrate a cause-and-effect link with a specific disease, Alzheimer’s, and showed that many pathological signs of Alzheimer’s disease, including protein aggregation, neuronal death, and memory loss, can be eliminated by removing these cells from the brain. Researchers studied genetically engineered mice that undergo brain degeneration unusually early in life because of aggregated clumps of fibers called tau tangles in the brain. The team found that when the “sick” mice were a year old, they had a dozen times as many zombie cells accumulated in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center, as the healthy control mice. Most importantly, zombie cells seem to accumulate in brain cells prior to cognitive loss; preventing the accumulation of these cells, researchers were able to diminish tau protein aggregation, neuronal death, and memory loss. A closer look revealed that the zombie cells belonged to a class of cells in the brain and spinal cord, called glia, that provide crucial support and insulation to neurons. Thus far, dementia research has mostly focused on the diseased neurons rather than their neighboring cells. This study clearly points out that non-neuronal cells may be playing a critical role in neurodegenerative diseases. Wiping out zombie-like brain cells could provide a new way to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. However, there might be lots of harmless brain cells that look like the dangerous senescent cells and a new drug should be specific enough to differentiate between the two.

Origami-inspired high-efficiency solar steam generators

Hong et al. Nature-Inspired, 3D Origami Solar Steam Generator toward Near Full Utilization of Solar Energy. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, August 2018

About 71% of the Earth’s surface is water-covered, yet many regions still suffer from a serious lack of clean drinking water; humanity is approaching a global water crisis. A huge step towards universal access to clean drinking water has been taken, as researchers have recently developed a new solar steam generator that approaches 100% efficiency for the production of clean water. Solar steam generators produce clean water by converting energy from the sun into heat, which evaporates seawater, leaving salts and other impurities behind. Then, the steam is collected and condensed into clean water. Existing solar steam generators typically contain a flat photothermal material, which produces heat from absorbed light. Although these devices are fairly efficient, they still lose energy by heat dissipation from the material into the air. Researchers wondered whether they could improve energy efficiency by designing a 3D photothermal material. They decided to deposit a light-absorbing nanocarbon composite onto a cellulose membrane that was patterned with the Miura fold of origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. Miura consists of interlocking parallelograms that form “mountains” and “valleys” within the 3D structure. They found that their new 3D device had a 50% higher evaporation with an efficiency of almost 100% compared to a 2D flat generator. Their analyses further revealed that origami “valleys” capture the sunlight much better, ensuring less is lost to reflection. In addition, heat can flow from the valleys toward the cooler “mountains,” evaporating water along the way instead of being lost to the air. This nearly cost free, facile fabricated and high efficiency design is expected to unlock a new generation of efficient water purification, especially for emergency water supplies.

We have seen tremendous transformations in every field of human scientific study including artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, robots, animal cloning, computers, innovative internet devices, and thousands of other gadgets. Researchers and scientists constantly discover new technologies for the benefit of mankind. One of the most revolutionary breakthroughs has been the discovery and usage of stem cells.

Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells that can be differentiated into specialized cells and can divide, through mitosis, to produce more stem cells. These new cells can be used to treat diseased human organs. They destroy the diseased cells and grow healthy cells within the organ until the organ becomes disease-free.

The discovery of stem cell

From 1961 to 1963, Doctor James Till and Doctor Ernest McCullach did pioneering research on hematopoietic (production of blood cells in the bone marrow) stem cells. Though they are called the discoverers of stem cells, some scientists are of the opinion that researchers were working on stem cells as early as 1918. Soon after Till and McCullach “discovered” stem cells, other scientists discovered ways to derive stem cells from mouse embryos. Scientists are now able to derive the cells from human embryos and grow them in labs. In 1998, a team led by James Thomson and Jeffrey Jones, from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, developed the first batch of human embryonic cells for use in medicine.

Sources of stem cells

Embryos: Stem cells were initially obtained from umbilical cord blood just after birth, though there were strong protests in opposition to this practice by the leaders of many faiths. This movement somewhat restrained the procedure. Scientists later on learned how to extract stem cells from embryos that had been fertilized through in-vitro fertilization and donated for research. These embryonic cells can mature into any kind of human cell.

The brain and spinal cord: Some types of neural stem cells produce fatty insulation that protects nerves.

Skin: Cells obtained from skin can be genetically manipulated to behave like stem cells.

Bone marrow: These stem cells can transform into bone, fat, tendon, or cartilage cells.

Extraction of stem cells

A patient is given local anesthesia to numb the body part. A doctor then performs a liposuction to remove fat tissue from the hip, waist, or other part of the body. The fat tissue is spun in a centrifuge to separate stem cells from the tissue. These stem cells are reinjected into the patient’s body, directly into the joints, tendons, or ligaments – a procedure called Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy.

Regenerative therapy clinics

There are currently hundreds of such clinics operating in many countries including United States, Canada, and Mexico. They offer cutting-edge technology to help restore patients’ health. However, some of these clinics are not approved by the FDA and are likely to jeopardize the patient’s health. The FDA has approved stem cell treatment for blood and immune disorders, certain types of cancer, and skin grafts for burns. There are doctors and clinics that offer stem cell treatment for all sorts of ailments with costs running in the thousands for therapies that the FDA has not approved. The FDA does not take action against these clinics because their usage is considered part of a medical procedure without the use of any drug.

The cosmetic industry also makes use of stem cells.Cells that have been mixed with fat can be  injected during a face-lift to make the skin appear shiny and youthful.

Thousands of people benefit from stem therapy. However, certain cases document potential harmful effects on patients, especially those patients who go to clinics not approved by the FDA. Medical staff in such clinics are generally inexperienced in stem cell therapy.

Linda Marsa’s article in the 2017 July and August issue of AARP Bulletin reports on some patients who either lost their lives or were seriously harmed after stem cell therapies. Two of them were from Florida. They died after receiving stem cell injections. A third person in California developed bone fragments in her eyelids after a stem cell face-lift. In another incident, three older women lost their vision after they participated in a so-called clinical trial, for which they had paid in South Florida. They were injected with stem cells to treat their macular degeneration. Before the injection, they had functional vision, they could move without any assistance and they could watch TV. But there was the prospect of further deterioration, which basically meant that they could potentially lose their driver’s licenses. The content in the clinic website was too convincing that they agreed to pay $5,000 for injections in both eyes. In about thirty minutes, the tissue was harvested, and stems cells were injected into the vitreous cavity of both eyes. The injection was done by a nurse and no doctor supervised the procedure.

Unfortunately, only a few days after the injection, they felt severe pain and vision loss. Thomas Albini, an ophthalmologist at the University of Miami, thinks when the stem cells started dividing, they caused the retina to detach. “There was nothing we could do to bring their vision back,” Albini said. “All three are now legally blind and unable to live independently.”
The stem cell industry is rife with fraud, dishonest practitioners and malpractice. One should beware of such clinics and go to only those which have been approved by the authorities and where doctors are thoroughly conversant with new therapies.

State-of-the-art clinics

The good news is that there are many other clinics that work strictly as per the approval of FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) procedures. The Stem Cell Institute of America has centers in Illinois and is reputed to be a genuine place where patients are generally satisfied with the results of their procedures. The SCIA offers stem cell injections for arthritis and other degenerative conditions found in the knees, hips, shoulders, neck, and lower back. Doctors and nurses are highly trained to administer these treatments.
Other reputable clinics include the Stemedix Medical Clinic and the U.S. Stem Cell Clinic, both in Florida, along with a chain called the Cell Surgical Network which is based in California.

Dr. Mark Berman, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, established Cell Therapy Centers in 2002. He claims that he and other physicians in his network have performed more than 5,000 stem cell treatments including on himself and his wife.

Sally Temple, a stem cell researcher at the Neural Stem Institute in Rensselaer, NY, and President of the International Society of Stem Cell Research, says:

We are going to see many treatments for diseases that are currently incurable. The results researchers are so excited about are only possible because of decades of tedious work to establish safety protocols, test concepts, and (to) learn how to grow, produce and manipulate stem cells. It is hard to have people understand how long this whole process takes. You would not believe what we have to do in my lab to prepare cells properly.

Stem cell treatment helps in many cases, but it is not yet approved for very serious conditions like strokes, heart ailments, or spinal cord injuries. Research is still ongoing and it may take decades to fully discover how stem cells can be utilized for such conditions.

Reference

• Angela Nice. “Dr. Mark Berman, and his innovative stem cell surgery,” Feb 12, 2016. New Skin Beverly Hills Posts.