Wearable Health Monitors

Greg Bashford’s expertise spans more than 25 years in diagnostic ultrasound, bioimaging, and biosignal analysis, with a focus on developing innovative medical imaging technologies for clinical applications. His research involves cerebral blood flow measurement, health monitoring and medical device development. He holds more than 25 patents related to medical device innovation and has played leading roles at ultrasound and biotechnology companies to help bring academic research into the real world. He received the 2022 NUTech Ventures Breakthrough Innovation of the Year award for his portable transcranial ultrasound technology, a device that could transform medicine by predicting Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms become evident or better monitor stroke patients’ outcomes. In 2024, Bashford and his Nebraska colleagues developed a groundbreaking wearable ultrasound prototype that demonstrated its capability to measure cerebral blood flow in emergency situations, highlighting its potential as a diagnostic tool. A professor of biomedical engineering, Bashford is chair of the biomedical engineering graduate program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (Updated November 2024.)

Eric Markvicka, a professor of mechanical and materials engineering, is leading a 4-year, $1.2 million NIH-supported project to develop a wearable monitoring device with multiple sensors to detect flare-ups of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic conditions like asthma and heart disease. The device may someday help everyday people monitor their overall health and attune to early warning signs of illness. Markvicka directs the Smart Materials and Robotics Laboratory, where computer science and material science combine to engineer new materials that mimic biological tissues and create wearable computing, soft robotics and multifunctional materials. He has won several significant awards for his innovative engineering, such as the 2021 NUTech Ventures Emerging Innovator of the Year, the 2024 Edgerton Innovation award, 2024 ASME Rising Star of Mechanical Engineering, and a 2024 NSF CAREER Award. He is also a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors. (Updated June 2025.)