Tag: #160

A smart mask analyses the breath to diagnose illnesses. It could also measure alcohol levels. Now a French startup is offering a simpler way to test our ability to drive. Its chip-like device fits easily onto a key ring. One touch of a button and its patented sensors detect alcohol indicators present on users’ skin, which are used to...

A lamp detects epileptic fits. In the meantime, a Viennese startup has developed treatment glasses which use light to alleviate the symptoms of depression. Depression also manifests itself when the brain’s network grows rigid, compromising its ability to make new connections between nerve cells and - to put it simply - think about something else. The treatment glasses deliver...

Rapidly-spreading algae can be repurposed as building material. Now, an Austrian startup is using waste from construction to store CO2 safely and create new materials at the same time. First the scrap material is analysed. Whether rubble or slag from iron or steel production, ash from incinerator plants or cement waste. Based on a sample, a patented process determines...

Oral cancer can be detected using saliva. But, as an Australian research team recently discovered, saliva can also provide information about possible heart failure. Key here: new biomarker S100A7. Heart failure patients have twice as much of it in their saliva as healthy people. The team developed a protein detector which the biomarker could attach itself to, thus making itself...

A biodegradable battery made from paper already exists. Meanwhile, a Glasgow-based research team is working on sustainable circuit boards. Zinc traces measuring 5 microns wide were first electroplated onto a carrier; next the team transferred the electric circuit onto materials like bioplastic and paper (they even tried chocolate but it was too unstable). Tested in tactile sensors, temperature sensors...

Chickpeas double as a coffee alternative. Capsule machines are increasingly used for a quick, authentic caffeine hit, with natural capsules helping reduce waste. But now a Munich-based startup has developed a compact new machine that makes do without them. Two levers make it a breeze for users. Push the horizontal one in and the grounds enter the portafilter. Compress...