Browse Technologies

• 
• 
• 
• 

Vanderbilt University researchers have developed self-destructing electrical conductors that dissolve and vanish below a certain critical temperature, which is achieved either by actively cooling the circuit or by removing a heat source.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most important and versatile tools in the repertoire of diagnostics and medical imaging. Vanderbilt researchers have developed a novel, geometry independent, self-decoupling radiofrequency (RF) coil design that will allow MRI machines to generate images at a faster rate and with greater image quality.

Phase change materials (PCMs) are a fascinating class of materials that can change certain material properties (e.g., absorbance or reflectivity) upon the application of a stimulus. Researchers at Vanderbilt University have used a PCM to create a novel metamaterial that can be reconfigured for use in a wide range of potential optical and integrated photonic applications from the infrared to terahertz spectral domain.

The standard for kidney stone detection is through the use of computed tomography (CT). However, CT is expensive and delivers harmful ionizing radiation into the body. Ultrasound would be the ideal way to detect kidney stones except that it performs poorly in detecting and accurately sizing stones. Vanderbilt researchers inventors have developed a technique that is able to separate hard, mineralized material (i.e kidney stones) from soft tissue in a way that is both cheaper and safer than CT and performs better than conventional ultrasound imaging.