The human brain is complex. Understanding deep brain function usually requires the insertion of probes that frequently result in irreversible tissue damage. Current neural probes are made out of silicon, a brittle material that can shatter during placement.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet progress in understanding and treating cardiac disorders is limited by the shortcomings of existing experimental models. Traditional animal models often fail to capture human-specific cardiac biology, while conventional two-dimensional cell cultures lack the functional and structural complexity of heart tissue.

A tiny sensor that detects hazardous head impacts the instant they occur could reshape safety monitoring in sports, transportation and other high-risk settings.