Aug 19 2015
Today, MIT Technology Review reveals its annual list of Innovators Under 35. For over a decade, the global media company has recognized a list of exceptionally talented technologists whose work has great potential to transform the world. For her work in the field of nanotechnology and materials, Canan Dagdeviren of MIT’s Koch Institute has been recognized as an inventor on the list.
Photo courtesy of Canan Dagdeviren
Dagdeviren has developed flexible nano-generators that convert mechanical energy from internal organ movements into electric energy to power medical devices. These first-of-their-kind devices, a new class of biocompatible piezoelectric mechanical energy harvesters (PZT MEHs), are soft and flexible with extremely low bending stiffness, which allows them to conform to and laminate on the heart as well as on other soft tissues. Under the rhythmic contraction of the heart muscle, the device bends and relaxes, which supplies enough trickle charge – a steady stream of charging current at low rate – to satisfy the needs of a pacemaker. This technology could extend the battery life of implanted medical devices or even eliminate the need of battery replacement, sparing patients from repeated operations and the risk of surgical complications.
“Over the years, we’ve had success in choosing young innovators whose work has been profoundly influential on the direction of human affairs,” says editor in chief and publisher Jason Pontin. “Previous winners include Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the cofounders of Google; Mark Zuckerberg, the cofounder of Facebook; and Jonathan Ive, the chief designer of Apple. We’re proud of our selections and the variety of achievements they celebrate, and we’re proud to add Canan Dagdeviren to this prestigious list.”
This year’s honorees will be featured online at www.technologyreview.com starting today, and in the September/October print magazine, which hits newsstands worldwide on September 1. They will appear in person at the upcoming EmTech MIT conference November 2–4 in Cambridge, Massachusetts (www.EmTechMIT.com).
About MIT Technology Review
MIT Technology Review, which is wholly owned by MIT, creates award-winning technology-related editorial content on a variety of platforms for an audience of millions of business leaders, innovators, and thought leaders, in six languages and in 147 countries. At www.technologyreview.com, readers access daily news and analysis, and the award-winning MIT Technology Review magazine has set the standard for technology publications since 1899. In addition to producing engaging live events, the company manages the global entrepreneurial organization MIT Enterprise Forum.
About MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, is a state-of-the-art cancer research facility as well as the hub of cancer research on the MIT campus. Completed in 2010, the Koch Institute building allows for the physical co-localization of faculty members from the Department of Biology with faculty members drawn from a variety of departments in the MIT School of Engineering. The Koch Institute brings together biologists and chemists along with biological, chemical, mechanical, and materials science engineers, computer scientists, clinicians and others, to bring fresh perspectives and an interdisciplinary approach to advancing the fight against cancer. This multi-faceted group of investigators is at the core of the Koch Institute’s mission to develop new insights into cancer, as well as new tools and technologies to better treat, diagnose and prevent the disease.