NJIT Innovations: Pain Sensors, Biodiversity Tech, Battery Recycling, Brain Stimulation & VR Vision Therapy | Bloomberg Intelligence

NJIT Innovations in Science and Technology

• 💡 Wunmi Sadik discussed the development of nano-sized analytical sensors for measuring pain biomarkers, aiming to move beyond subjective pain scales.
• 🎯 Her research uses biochemical markers and AI to objectively assess pain, particularly for individuals who cannot articulate it.
• 🔬 Eric Fortune led a team that won a $5 million XPRIZE for recording biodiversity in a square kilometer of the Amazon rainforest using drones and remote sensing.
• 🌳 The team collected 27 million genetic samples, identifying more bird species than exist in all of North America within that small area.
• 🔋 Chao Yan discussed Princeton NuEnergy's (PNE) plasma-based lithium-ion battery recycling technology, which is 40-50% cheaper and cleaner than traditional methods.
• ♻️ PNE's direct recycling approach extracts cathode active materials for reuse, avoiding waste from acid leaching processes.
• 🧠 Elisa Kallioniemi is researching brain stimulation to safely and precisely modulate brain activity, offering an alternative for patients unresponsive to or intolerant of medications.
• ⚡ The technology uses safe energy pulses to alter brain activity, aiming to alleviate symptoms for conditions like depression, OCD, and migraines.
• 👓 Tara Alvarez discussed OculoMotor Technologies, a startup developing virtual reality solutions for vision therapy, making exercises for conditions like convergence insufficiency more engaging.
• 🎮 VR therapy gamifies eye exercises, helping patients improve eye teaming and visual information processing, especially for those with persistent post-concussive symptoms.

Boeing Earnings and Aerospace Outlook

• ✈️ George Ferguson analyzed Boeing's first-quarter earnings, noting cash generation exceeded expectations by $1 billion.
• 📈 Boeing is ramping up jet production, particularly the 737 Max, aiming for improved cash flow and a turnaround by 2025.
• 🇨🇳 While China remains a challenge for orders, Boeing is focused on delivering existing backlogs and remarketing aircraft to other global customers.
• 🏭 The company's recovery plan involves increasing aircraft production to absorb overhead, generate cash, and pay down debt.