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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Scientists Just Learned How to 3D-Print Using Sound Enables Finer, Faster Microdevices

In the world of modern manufacturing, smaller often means smarter. From tiny medical diagnostic chips to flexible sensors that can bend with the human body, microscale devices are shaping the future of health care, electronics, and environmental monitoring. However, making such small and precise structures—especially on soft materials—has always been a major challenge.

Now, researchers at Concordia University have introduced a breakthrough solution: a new 3D-printing method that uses sound waves instead of heat or light. This innovative approach, known as proximal sound printing, allows scientists to directly print extremely tiny structures onto soft polymers like silicone with unprecedented accuracy.

Published in 2026, this research shows how sound—something we usually associate with hearing—can become a powerful tool for building the smallest technologies of tomorrow.

Why Traditional 3D Printing Struggles at Small Scales

Conventional 3D-printing techniques work well for large objects, but they face serious limitations when structures shrink to microscopic sizes. Most standard methods rely on heat or light to harden liquid materials layer by layer. While effective in many cases, these approaches create problems when used with soft polymers.

Soft polymers, such as silicone, are widely used in microfluidic devices, lab-on-a-chip systems, and wearable electronics. They are flexible, biocompatible, and durable—but they are also sensitive. Heat can deform them, and light-based curing may not work evenly at very small scales. As a result, printed structures often lack precision, consistency, or strength.

Because of these challenges, many microscale devices still require complex, slow, and expensive manufacturing processes.

The Big Idea: Printing with Sound Waves

The Concordia research team took a completely different approach. Instead of using heat or light, they turned to focused ultrasound—high-frequency sound waves that can be precisely directed.

In proximal sound printing, ultrasound waves are aimed at a liquid polymer. When the sound reaches a specific location, it triggers a chemical reaction that instantly solidifies the material only at that point. This means the polymer hardens exactly where needed, without affecting surrounding areas.

Sound waves can travel easily through soft materials and liquids, making them ideal for working with polymers that are difficult to print using traditional methods.

From Direct Sound Printing to Proximal Precision

This new technique builds on the team’s earlier innovation called direct sound printing. That earlier method proved that ultrasound could cure polymers on demand. However, it had two main limitations:

  • The printed features were relatively large

  • Results were not always consistent

The breakthrough came with the proximal approach. By placing the sound source much closer to the printing surface, researchers gained much tighter control over where and how the polymer solidifies.

This small change led to a big improvement.

Ten Times Smaller, Much More Accurate

With proximal sound printing, the researchers achieved features up to ten times smaller than before. Even more impressive, they did this while using significantly less power and achieving much better repeatability.

In simple terms, this means:

  • Finer details can be printed

  • Less energy is required

  • Results are more reliable every time

Such precision is essential for microscale devices, where even tiny errors can affect performance.

What Can Be Made with This Technology?

The improved accuracy of proximal sound printing opens the door to many exciting applications.

Microfluidic Devices

Microfluidics involves controlling tiny amounts of liquids through microscopic channels. These devices are widely used in medical diagnostics, chemical analysis, and biological research. The new technique allows complex microfluidic channels to be printed directly onto soft polymers in a single step.

Lab-on-a-Chip Systems

Lab-on-a-chip devices combine multiple laboratory functions—such as mixing, testing, and analyzing samples—onto a small chip. Proximal sound printing makes it easier to manufacture these systems quickly and accurately.

Flexible and Wearable Sensors

Soft electronics that bend, stretch, and move with the body are essential for wearable health monitors. Sound-based printing supports these materials without damaging them, enabling better and more comfortable devices.

Multi-Material Structures

Another advantage of this method is the ability to print different materials in one process. This is important for advanced sensors and soft robotic components that need multiple functions in a single structure.

Why Sound Is Better Than Heat or Light

Sound-based 3D printing offers several clear advantages:

  • Gentle on materials: No high temperatures or intense light

  • Highly precise: Ultrasound can be focused very tightly

  • Energy efficient: Requires less power than traditional methods

  • Compatible with soft polymers: Ideal for silicone and similar materials

These benefits make proximal sound printing especially useful for next-generation microscale manufacturing.

Future Impact: Faster, Simpler, Smarter Manufacturing

One of the most exciting aspects of this technology is how it could change manufacturing workflows. Instead of relying on multiple complex steps, manufacturers could directly print microscale systems in a simpler and more flexible way.

This could lead to:

  • Faster prototyping of medical diagnostic tools

  • Lower production costs for wearable devices

  • More rapid innovation in soft robotics and sensors

For startups and research labs, this means ideas can move from concept to working prototype much more quickly.

The Researchers Behind the Breakthrough

The study, led by Shervin Foroughi and colleagues, represents a major step forward in microscale fabrication. By combining physics, chemistry, and engineering, the team demonstrated how rethinking a basic tool—sound—can unlock entirely new possibilities.

Their work, titled “Proximal sound printing: direct 3D printing of microstructures on polymers,” was published in Microsystems & Nanoengineering in 2026.

A New Way to Build the Smallest Technologies

Proximal sound printing shows that innovation does not always come from adding more complexity. Sometimes, it comes from using familiar forces—like sound—in completely new ways.

By enabling precise, low-power, and reliable printing on soft materials, this technique could become a cornerstone of future microscale manufacturing. From healthcare diagnostics to environmental sensors and wearable electronics, the ability to “print with sound” may soon help shape technologies that improve everyday life—quietly, efficiently, and at a microscopic scale.

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