Tag: sensor

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...

Dialysis could soon be administered on the move. But movement remains an issue for some people with diabetes, owing to nerve problems in their feet. Enter a Swiss startup and its smart knee-high socks. Sensors embedded in the sole capture the pressure exerted by users while walking, and send the information to a miniature control unit integrated into the...

Melting ‘pinecones’ provide safeguards against wildfires. A new sensor created by a Norwegian startup, meanwhile, ensures that food or medication preserves its integrity for as long as possible when transported by the cold chain. The measuring device is fitted to palettes, packages or containers. Integrated into an IoT platform, it wirelessly transmits the data it captures on temperature, light...

Fungi for healthy feet? No longer a paradox thanks to DIY insoles. Now a research team in Atlanta has invented a smart inner sole to support people with walking problems. Pressure data from each foot is collected thanks to 170 thin, flexible sensors spread across the soles underneath users’ feet. Meaning each step can be analysed to determine whether...

An armband concept detects and prevents hot flushes. Meanwhile, an Irish startup is focused on females of other species. The team’s sensor recognises the start of contractions in pregnant cows and heifers, denoted by specific movements of the tail. The sensor is registered in an app and connected with two telephone numbers. 3-4 days before calving it’s attached to...

Mini-robots could rid the ocean of microplastics. In Switzerland, a research team is turning to similar technology to analyse water quality, though the outer shell of its mini-robots is made from protein-rich, low-fat fish food. For movement, inspiration came from the so-called Marangoni effect: the robots move across the surface of the water by expelling gas. It is created internally...

Blind people can now navigate buildings more easily. Still, reading texts in braille requires training and a highly developed sense of touch. According to a Chinese research team, however, this role could soon be performed by a digital pen. The team developed a soft, thin film with an embedded fibre optic sensor, which uses light to feel. Like human...

Some solar panels follow the sun, while surplus energy can be stored in sand. Now a Boston-based research team has developed a battery-free, solar-powered desalination system for remote areas. The system utilises salt-heavy brackish groundwater and pumps it through a live membrane, meaning salt ions are drawn out as the water flows through. The novelty? An ingenious sensor system,...