New Conversational AI Tool Uses Trusted Medical Protocols to Help People Decide When to Seek Care

April 23, 2026

A new chatbot could reliably help people decide what to do about their symptoms — and do so based on guidance that is both medically sound and easy to understand. Designed to improve self-triage, it could help reduce unnecessary hospital visits and ensure that those who need care seek it sooner. Full Story

MRI and Augmented Reality for Better Back Pain Surgery Wins at Research Expo 2026

April 21, 2026

Mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Songyuan Lu won the grand prize at this year’s Research Expo, where more than 150 students presented their research posters across the six departments at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. Lu’s work focuses on computer-assisted surgery using MRI and augmented reality.  Full Story

AI-enhanced Microscopy Produces Crisp, Real-time Video Inside Live Cells

April 20, 2026

Using artificial intelligence, engineers have developed a new way to watch the inner workings of living cells in real time. The process both captures images that are twice as sharp as conventional microscopes and is fast enough to play as smooth video. Full Story

Using Physics, Engineers Create Fentanyl Test Strips That Are 100 Times More Sensitive

April 13, 2026

Engineers have developed fentanyl test strips that are about 100 times more sensitive than current commercial versions. They achieved this feat by creating a new physics-based model that explains, for the first time, how these test strips work and how to systematically improve them. Full Story