Recent technological advances have opened new possibilities for the development of advanced biomedical devices that could be implanted inside the human body. These devices could be used to monitor biological signals that offer insight about the evolution of specific medical conditions or could even help to alter problematic physiological processes.

Despite their potential for the diagnosis and treatment of some conditions, most implantable devices developed to date are based on rigid electronic components. These components can damage tissue inside the body or cause inflammation.

Some electronics engineers have been trying to develop alternative implantable electronics that are based on soft and stretchable materials, such as polymers. However, most known polymers and elastic materials are not biocompatible, which means that they can provoke immune responses and adversely affect the growth of cells.

Researchers at Kyung Hee University, Sungkyunkwan University and other institutes in South Korea have introduced a new organic transistor, a device that modulates the flow of electrical current in circuits, which appears to be both stretchable and biocompatible.

Their device, introduced in a paper in Nature Electronics, was made using a blend of extremely thin semiconducting fibers and a biocompatible composite elastic material.

“For more than a decade, our group has been working on intrinsically stretchable semiconductors that can elongate like human skin while still functioning as transistors,” Jin Young Oh, senior author of the paper, told Tech Xplore.

“While we made progress in mechanical stretchability, one critical limitation remained: most elastomers used in research were industrial grade, lacking true biocompatibility for safe long-term implantation. This challenge inspired us to rethink materials at a fundamental level.”

The researchers involved in the development of the new transistor have been exploring the use of organic semiconductors and medical elastomers for the development of biomedical devices for some time now.

Building on their earlier work, they tried to realize the first transistor that is stretchable, but that can also be safely inserted inside the body without causing inflammation or damaging tissue.

“Our transistor is built from a composite of a high-performance semiconducting polymer (DPPT-TT) and a medical-grade rubber called brominated isobutylene–isoprene rubber (BIIR),” explained Oh.

“Using a vulcanization process which is a classical rubber crosslinking method, we created a nanofiber network of semiconductors embedded in an elastic, biocompatible matrix. This architecture provides both stable charge transport and exceptional mechanical softness.”

The researchers designed dual-layer electrodes for their device that are made of silver and gold, two materials that are conductive, chemically stable and would not become corroded when placed in bodily fluids for prolonged periods of time.

In initial tests, they found that their transistor could stretch up to 50% strain, successfully enduring 10,000 cycles of stretching while still operating normally.

Oh and his colleagues also implanted their device under the skin of mice, to assess its performance and safety in biological environments. They found that the transistor performed remarkably well, while also conforming to the animals’ tissue and resisting degradation when in contact with biological fluids.

“We showed not only stable device operation under physiological conditions but also excellent in vitro and in vivo safety, with no inflammation or fibrotic encapsulation after 30 days of implantation,” said Oh. “We further validated logic gates and active-matrix arrays, proving the scalability of the platform.”

The soft and biocompatible transistor developed by this team of researchers could soon be used to develop a wide range of electronics. These include biosensors that can monitor physiological processes, smart implants for the precise delivery of drugs, prosthetic systems that connect the brain with robotic limbs and even new types of consumer devices.

“Our next studies will follow two distinct directions,” said Oh. “On the hardware side, we aim to further improve transistor performance, scalability, and integration into complex circuits such as logic-in-memory architectures. On the biomedical side, we plan extended in vivo studies to validate long-term safety and reliability.”

Eventually, Oh and his colleagues would also like to explore the possibility of using their transistor to create implantable brain-inspired devices. For example, they envision new energy-efficient and AI-powered systems that could sense the environment inside the body, while also making predictions based on the data they collect.

“Ultimately, we envision combining hardware advances with AI-driven software to create self-learning implantable electronics,” added Oh.

© 2025 Science X Network

The average small to medium UK fashion manufacturer saw sales revenue rise by 68 per cent in the first quarter (Q1) of fiscal 2025 (FY25) compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, and by 171 per cent more year-on-year, as per new data from the latest Manufacturing Health Index, by inventory management software provider Unleashed.

Business confidence fell into negative territory in Q1 for the first time since 2022, weighed down by tax hikes, inflation, sluggish growth, and global uncertainty. Yet, the fashion sector’s standout sales performance hints that UK manufacturers may be finding unexpected opportunities amid international market disruption.

“The unusual business conditions of the first three months of the year had generally played out well for the country’s smaller producers, as had falling bank rates. Anecdotally, what we’re hearing from some of our customers is that Q1 brought welcome windfalls. Some tariff-affected international customers have turned to UK firms to do business, while others raced to order more before tariff pauses came off. That’s delivered a shot in the arm for some firms, but more importantly we’re hearing that steadily falling bank rates are starting to stimulate the economy, which obviously is very welcome to UK manufacturers who’ve posted a really strong start to the year,” Joe Llewellyn, GM of ERP Small Business at The Access Group, the parent company of Unleashed, said.

UK fashion manufacturers saw a 68 per cent quarterly and 171 per cent annual rise in Q1 sales, despite falling business confidence.
Tariff shifts and easing bank rates boosted demand, though profitability dropped 36 per cent year-on-year.
Faster delivery times offer margin hope.
Overall UK manufacturing sales rose 30 per cent quarterly, with 10 per cent higher profits.

However Unleashed’s data also showed profitability dropped compared to last year. Gross Margin Return on Inventory (GMROI) for the average clothing manufacturer declined -53 per cent against the fourth quarter and -36 per cent year-on-year, to £4.14 return for every pound spent on buying stock.

However, delivery lead times also dropped down to 19 days on average, which offers some reassurances. Faster delivery times allow businesses to reorder in smaller quantities, which is a more cost-efficient way to generate sales that improves margins.

Across all of the 12 manufacturing categories analysed, sales were up by 30 per cent in Q1 2025 compared to Q4 2024 – and 13 per cent year-on-year. Profitability also jumped by 10 per cent in Q1 2025.

It’s possible that the higher profit margins seen in Q1 across the wider manufacturing base were caused by purchasing managers deferring their inventory replenishment spend in response to low GBP-USD exchange rates. In January the pound dipped to $1.22, making international purchases more expensive for UK buyers of US-dollar denominated goods. By the end of March, however, the exchange rate had trended favourably and reached 1.34 at the end of April.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)

We love Canon’s lineup of mirrorless cameras, which deliver the same great image quality without the bulk. The R5 is a powerhouse of a camera, offering a 45 Megapixel full-frame sensor and can shoot 8K RAW Video. If you don’t need the huge 45 MP sensor of the R5, the smaller, cheaper R6 Mark II Body is a solid choice. Plus, Canon has an online deals hub with rotating offers so you can get the gear you need for all your projects for way less.

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Get a 10% Off Canon Promo Code When You Upgrade

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Canon is offering free shipping on all cameras and lenses, as well as ink and toner for the company’s printers. You can expect other deals for up to $300 off popular items like RF28-70 mm lenses, PIXMA printer, and more during 2025 sale events. Make sure to regularly visit our page for the latest offers and Canon discount codes whenever they are available.

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Our Favorite Canon Cameras

Canon has a wide variety of cameras to capture all the details you need in photos and video. If you’re looking for jaw dropping non-stop 8K recording with excellent imaging, the Canon R5 is our favorite. The R6 strikes a balance between shooting for personal and professional purposes with a 24.2 megapixel full-frame. In the deals section, you can always find discounts on new and refurbished cameras, lenses, and kits.