This Week in Quality – January 12, 2026

Illumina launched its Connected Multiomics cloud-based platform integrating multiomic analysis capabilities for thousands of samples. Lockheed Martin secured a $1 billion Space Development Agency contract for 18 missile-tracking satellites. Nu Skin introduced the AI-powered Prysm iO wellness device measuring carotenoid levels through fingertip scans.

Illumina Launches Connected Multiomics Cloud Platform for Integrated Analysis

Illumina launched Connected Multiomics, a cloud-based research software platform enabling scientists to analyze and visualize multiomic and multimodal biological data at scale across transcriptomics, genomics, proteomics, epigenetics and spatial analysis. The platform aggregates thousands of multiomic samples from Illumina and third-party assays in a single analysis environment, following a year of input from 40 early access users including the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School.

The software provides reproducible results and interactive multiomic visualizations using industry standard statistical methods and integrated DRAGEN secondary analysis, with AI-enabled variant interpretation through PrimateAI and PromoterAI removing background mutations to identify biologically meaningful signals. Both single cell and spatial analysis capabilities provide differential expression, marker gene identification and cell typing, with spatial transcriptomics overlaying gene expression data on tissue imagery to provide spatial context for biological insights.

Lockheed Martin Secures $1 Billion Contract for 18 Tracking Satellites

The Space Development Agency awarded Lockheed Martin a contract valued at more than $1 billion to build 18 satellites for its Tranche 3 Tracking Layer constellation, expanding the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture with missile warning, tracking and defense space vehicles in low Earth orbit. The satellites will provide global, persistent detection and tracking of conventional and advanced missile threats including hypersonic systems, converting tracking data into actionable missile defense engagements.

The award builds on Lockheed Martin’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer contract and brings the company’s total Space Development Agency space vehicle contracts to 124 satellites across the Tracking Layer and Transport Layer programs. Lockheed Martin launched 21 Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites in October 2025 and will manufacture the Tranche 3 satellites at its SmallSat Processing and Delivery Center in Colorado, with satellite buses supplied by Terran Orbital.

Nu Skin Introduces AI-Powered Prysm iO Nutritional Wellness Device

Nu Skin introduced Prysm iO, an AI-powered non-invasive wellness device that measures carotenoid levels through a quick fingertip scan to provide users with real-time insights into their nutritional and antioxidant health status. The device uses advanced spectral technology and AI to generate a personalized Prysm Score, enabling users to track and improve wellness across diet, lifestyle, fitness and supplementation categories.

The technology represents an evolution in intelligent nutritional wellness by combining biometric scanning with AI-driven analytics to deliver actionable health insights without requiring blood draws or laboratory testing. The device’s spectral analysis technology evaluates carotenoid biomarkers as indicators of overall antioxidant levels and nutritional status, providing users with a quantified wellness metric that can be monitored over time to measure the impact of dietary and lifestyle interventions.

Corning Earns Two CES 2026 Innovation Honors for Glass Technologies

Corning announced that two of its glass surface treatments earned recognition in the CES 2026 Innovation Awards, with Corning Gorilla Matte Pro honored in the Computer Peripherals and Accessories category and Corning SurfaceIQ recognized in the In-Vehicle Entertainment category. Gorilla Matte Pro provides advanced surface treatment for consumer electronics displays, while SurfaceIQ offers anti-reflective properties specifically designed for automotive display applications.

The CES Innovation Awards program recognizes outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products across multiple categories, with honorees selected by a panel of independent judges including industrial designers, engineers and technology journalists. The awards highlight Corning’s continued innovation in specialty glass and surface treatment technologies for consumer electronics and automotive applications, addressing the growing demand for enhanced display performance in both traditional computing devices and next-generation vehicle interfaces.

Johnson & Johnson Submits Ottava Surgical Robotic System for FDA

Johnson & Johnson submitted its Ottava surgical robotic system to the FDA for de novo approval, marking the latest development for the minimally invasive surgical platform first unveiled in fall 2021. The submission represents a significant milestone in Johnson & Johnson’s effort to establish a competitive presence in the soft tissue surgical robotics market currently dominated by Intuitive Surgical and its da Vinci system.

The Ottava system is designed as a purpose-built robotic platform for minimally invasive surgery, featuring an integrated surgical approach that aims to differentiate it from existing surgical robotics solutions. The de novo classification pathway is used for novel medical devices where no legally marketed predicate device exists, requiring the FDA to establish special controls and performance standards specific to the device type before granting marketing authorization for commercial distribution.