Category: Sensors

Recorded at ApplySci’s Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on September 19th at the MIT Media Lab.

Join ApplySci at Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Valley on February 26-27, 2018 at Stanford University. Speakers include:  Vinod Khosla – Justin Sanchez – Brian Otis – Bryan Johnson – Zhenan Bao – Nathan Intrator – Carla Pugh – Jamshid Ghajar – Mark Kendall – Robert Greenberg – Darin Okuda – Jason Heikenfeld – Bob Knight – Phillip Alvelda – Paul Nuyujukian –  Peter Fischer – Tony Chahine

Registration rates increase today – November 10th, 2017

Paul Ruffin Scarborough, Stefan Zauscher, and Duke colleagues have programmed bacteria with a synthetic gene circuit to turn them into working devices.

As a bacterial colony grows into the shape of a hemisphere, the gene circuit triggers the production of a protein, to distribute within the colony, that recruits inorganic materials. Gold nanoparticles enable  the system to form a shell around the bacterial colony, resulting in  a pressure sensor.

This is the first time that a composite structure was produced by programming the cells themselves, and controlling their access to nutrients, but still leaving the bacteria free to grow in three dimensions.

Click to view Duke University video

Join ApplySci at Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Valley on February 26-27, 2018 at Stanford University, featuring:  Vinod Khosla – Justin Sanchez – Brian Otis – Bryan Johnson – Zhenan Bao – Nathan Intrator – Carla Pugh – Jamshid Ghajar – Mark Kendall – Robert Greenberg

Canan Dagdeviren, Giovanni Traverso, Bob Langer, and MIT and Brigham and Women’s colleagues have built a swallowable, flexible sensor that adheres to the stomach wall or intestinal lining to measure digestive track contractions.  It could be used to help diagnose gastrointestinal disorders or to monitor food intake.

The piezoelectric device generates a current and voltage when mechanically deformed. Elastic polymers allow it to conform to and stretch with skin.

The sensor has only been tested on pigs.  It was able to remain active for 2 days.  If found safe to be used in humans, its flexibility could help avoid the side effects associated with current, rigid ingestible devices. Future versions will include the harvesting of some of the piezoelectric generated energy to power additional sensors and wireless transmitters.  The elimination of a battery would further improve safety.

Join ApplySci at Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Valley on February 26-27, 2018 at Stanford University, featuring:  Vinod Khosla – Justin Sanchez – Brian Otis – Bryan Johnson – Zhenan Bao – Nathan Intrator – Carla Pugh – Jamshid Ghajar – Mark Kendall

UCSD’s Timothy O’Connor and Darren Lipomi have developed  The Language of Glove — glove that wirelessly translates American Sign Language into text, and controls a virtual hand to mimic sign language gestures. It was built for less than $100 using stretchable and printable electronics.

Nine silicon-based polymer sensors, with a conductive carbon paint, were taped to the back and knuckles of a leather glove.  They  were secured with copper tape, and stainless steel thread connected them to a low power, custom-printed circuit board, at the back of the wrist.

The sensors changed their electrical resistance when stretched or bent. This allowed them to code different letters of the American Sign Language alphabet, based on the positions of all nine knuckles. The circuit board converted the  code into letters, and transmitted the signals via Bluetooth to a  phone or computer.

The team is investigating other uses for the glove, including VR, AR, telesurgery, technical training, and defense. The next version  is intended to have a sense of touch.

Join ApplySci at Wearable Tech + Digital Health + NeuroTech Boston on September 19, 2017 at the MIT Media Lab – featuring  Joi Ito – Ed Boyden – Roz Picard – George Church – Nathan Intrator –  Tom Insel – John Rogers – Jamshid Ghajar – Phillip Alvelda – Michael Weintraub – Nancy Brown – Steve Kraus – Bill Geary – Mary Lou Jepsen – Daniela Rus

Registration rates increase Friday, July 28th.

ANNOUNCING WEARABLE TECH + DIGITAL HEALTH + NEUROTECH SILICON VALLEY – FEBRUARY 26 -27, 2018 @ STANFORD UNIVERSITY

KAIST professor Il-doo Kim _김일두 has developed a sensor that can diagnose diseases by measuring the concentration change of the specific gases in the breath, with out blood or imaging tests. Animal protein is used as a catalyst.  The researchers claim that detection can be done at the time of disease metabolism, enabling early diagnosis.

Hydrogen, acetone, toluene, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen monoxide, and moisture are biomarker gases are emitted at high concentrations in patients with  diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, and Type 1 diabetes.  The 16 sensor array system recognizes human fingerprints and individual breathing patterns associated  with each condition.

Technion professor Hossam Haick has been studying non-invasive breath-based detection of disease, including cancer, since 2007, and his Na-Nose technology was commercialized in 2013.

Click to view Il-Doo Kim discussing breath-based disease detection.

Click to view Hossam Haick discussing breath-based disease detection.

Join ApplySci at Wearable Tech + Digital Health + NeuroTech Boston on September 19, 2017 at the MIT Media Lab – featuring  Joi Ito – Ed Boyden – Roz Picard – George Church – Nathan Intrator –  Tom Insel – John Rogers – Jamshid Ghajar – Phillip Alvelda – Michael Weintraub – Nancy Brown – Steve Kraus – Bill Geary – Mary Lou Jepsen – Daniela Rus

Registration rates increase Friday, July 21st