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A lot of things in life are squishy, including your skin, your organs, and all the goo inside you. But technology tends to be rigid and hard. Figuring out how to get those two worlds to work together can be challenging. How do you connect an electronic sensor to a soft, beating heart?

As an inventor of biocompatible electronic devices, John A. Rogers has designed things like flexible probes, a pacemaker smaller than a grain of rice, and wireless sensors that stick to skin like a temporary tattoo. He joins Host Flora Lichtman to talk about the challenges of meshing the natural and artificial worlds, and his approach to science and technology development.

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The body can notice stress before the conscious brain — and that’s no lie.

Northwestern University engineers have developed a small, wireless polygraph system you can wear.

Unlike polygraphs used in television crime dramas, this wearable version isn’t optimized to detect lies. Instead, engineers and physicians designed it to sense underlying stress hidden deep within the body — no interrogation room required.

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At a time when medical technology breakthroughs often stall long before reaching patients, Northwestern University’s Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics (QSIB) has become a striking exception. Led by world-renowned bioelectronics pioneer John A. Rogers, QSIB is a rare place where futuristic devices not only make headlines but also make it into hospitals, clinics and patient homes around the world.

Now, QSIB — united with several other Northwestern centers and institutes — will extend that reach even further.

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