First self-powered device with wireless data transmission

ScienceDaily (June 16, 2011) — Scientists are reporting development of the first self-powered nano-device that can transmit data wirelessly over long distances. In a study in ACS's journal Nano Letters, they say it proves the feasibility of a futuristic genre of tiny implantable medical sensors, airborne and stationary surveillance cameras and sensors, wearable personal electronics, and other devices that operate independently without batteries on energy collected from the environment.

Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues explain that advances in electronics have opened the door to developing tiny devices that operate battery-free on minute amounts of electricity that can be harvested from the pulse of a blood vessel, a gentle breeze, or the motions of a person walking. "It is entirely possible to drive the devices by scavenging energy from sources in the environment such as gentle airflow, vibration, sonic wave, solar, chemical, and/or thermal energy," the scientists explain.

The device consists of a nanogenerator that produces electricity from mechanical vibration/triggering, a capacitor to store the energy, and electronics that include a sensor and a radio transmitter similar to those in Bluetooth mobile phone headsets. Their device transmitted wireless signals that could be detected by an ordinary commercial radio at distances of more than 30 feet.

The authors acknowledge funding from DARPA and the U.S. Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

Journal Reference:

Youfan Hu, Yan Zhang, Chen Xu, Long Lin, Robert L. Snyder, Zhong Lin Wang. Self-Powered System with Wireless Data Transmission. Nano Letters, 2011; : 110523140742088 DOI: 10.1021/nl201505c

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

First self-powered device with wireless data transmission

ScienceDaily (June 16, 2011) — Scientists are reporting development of the first self-powered nano-device that can transmit data wirelessly over long distances. In a study in ACS's journal Nano Letters, they say it proves the feasibility of a futuristic genre of tiny implantable medical sensors, airborne and stationary surveillance cameras and sensors, wearable personal electronics, and other devices that operate independently without batteries on energy collected from the environment.

Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues explain that advances in electronics have opened the door to developing tiny devices that operate battery-free on minute amounts of electricity that can be harvested from the pulse of a blood vessel, a gentle breeze, or the motions of a person walking. "It is entirely possible to drive the devices by scavenging energy from sources in the environment such as gentle airflow, vibration, sonic wave, solar, chemical, and/or thermal energy," the scientists explain.

The device consists of a nanogenerator that produces electricity from mechanical vibration/triggering, a capacitor to store the energy, and electronics that include a sensor and a radio transmitter similar to those in Bluetooth mobile phone headsets. Their device transmitted wireless signals that could be detected by an ordinary commercial radio at distances of more than 30 feet.

The authors acknowledge funding from DARPA and the U.S. Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

Journal Reference:

Youfan Hu, Yan Zhang, Chen Xu, Long Lin, Robert L. Snyder, Zhong Lin Wang. Self-Powered System with Wireless Data Transmission. Nano Letters, 2011; : 110523140742088 DOI: 10.1021/nl201505c

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

Self-powered, blood-activated sensor detects pancreatitis quickly and cheaply

ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2011) — A new low cost test for acute pancreatitis that gets results much faster than existing tests has been developed by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin.

The sensor, which could be produced for as little as a dollar, is built with a 12-cent LED light, aluminum foil, gelatin, milk protein and a few other cheap, easily obtainable materials.

The sensor could help prevent damage from acute pancreatitis, which is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas that can lead to severe stomach pain, nausea, fever, shock and in some cases, death.

"We've turned Reynold's Wrap, JELL-O and milk into a way to look for organ failure," says Brian Zaccheo, a graduate student in the lab of Richard Crooks, professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

The sensor, which is about the size of a matchbox, relies on a simple two-step process to diagnose the disease.

In step one, a bit of blood extract is dropped onto a layer of gelatin and milk protein. If there are high levels of trypsin, an enzyme that is overabundant in the blood of patients with acute pancreatitis, the trypsin will break down the gelatin in much the same way it breaks down proteins in the stomach.

In step two, a drop of sodium hydroxide (lye) is added. If the trypsin levels were high enough to break down that first barrier, the sodium hydroxide can trickle down to the second barrier, a strip of Reynold's wrap, and go to work dissolving it.

The foil corrodes, and with both barriers now permeable, a circuit is able to form between a magnesium anode and an iron salt at the cathode. Enough current is generated to light up a red LED. If the LED lights up within an hour, acute pancreatitis is diagnosed.

"In essence, the device is a battery having a trypsin-selective switch that closes the circuit between the anode and cathode," write Zaccheo and Crooks in a paper recently published in Analytical Chemistry.

Zaccheo and Crooks, who have a provisional patent, can envision a number of potential uses for the sensor. It might help providers in the developing world who don't have the resources to do the more complex tests for pancreatitis. It could be of use in situations where batteries are in short supply, such as after a natural disaster or in remote locations. And because of the speed of the sensor, it could be an excellent first-line measure even in well-stocked hospitals.

For Zaccheo, the most appealing aspect of the project isn't so much the specific sensor. It is the idea we might be able to save time, money and even lives by adopting this kind of low-tech approach.

"I want to develop biosensors that are easy to use but give a high level of sensitivity," he says. "All you need for this, for instance, is to know how to use a dropper and a timer."

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Texas at Austin.

Journal Reference:

Brian A. Zaccheo, Richard M. Crooks. Self-Powered Sensor for Naked-Eye Detection of Serum Trypsin. Analytical Chemistry, 2011; 83 (4): 1185 DOI: 10.1021/ac103115z

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

Self-powered, blood-activated sensor detects pancreatitis quickly and cheaply

ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2011) — A new low cost test for acute pancreatitis that gets results much faster than existing tests has been developed by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin.

The sensor, which could be produced for as little as a dollar, is built with a 12-cent LED light, aluminum foil, gelatin, milk protein and a few other cheap, easily obtainable materials.

The sensor could help prevent damage from acute pancreatitis, which is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas that can lead to severe stomach pain, nausea, fever, shock and in some cases, death.

"We've turned Reynold's Wrap, JELL-O and milk into a way to look for organ failure," says Brian Zaccheo, a graduate student in the lab of Richard Crooks, professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

The sensor, which is about the size of a matchbox, relies on a simple two-step process to diagnose the disease.

In step one, a bit of blood extract is dropped onto a layer of gelatin and milk protein. If there are high levels of trypsin, an enzyme that is overabundant in the blood of patients with acute pancreatitis, the trypsin will break down the gelatin in much the same way it breaks down proteins in the stomach.

In step two, a drop of sodium hydroxide (lye) is added. If the trypsin levels were high enough to break down that first barrier, the sodium hydroxide can trickle down to the second barrier, a strip of Reynold's wrap, and go to work dissolving it.

The foil corrodes, and with both barriers now permeable, a circuit is able to form between a magnesium anode and an iron salt at the cathode. Enough current is generated to light up a red LED. If the LED lights up within an hour, acute pancreatitis is diagnosed.

"In essence, the device is a battery having a trypsin-selective switch that closes the circuit between the anode and cathode," write Zaccheo and Crooks in a paper recently published in Analytical Chemistry.

Zaccheo and Crooks, who have a provisional patent, can envision a number of potential uses for the sensor. It might help providers in the developing world who don't have the resources to do the more complex tests for pancreatitis. It could be of use in situations where batteries are in short supply, such as after a natural disaster or in remote locations. And because of the speed of the sensor, it could be an excellent first-line measure even in well-stocked hospitals.

For Zaccheo, the most appealing aspect of the project isn't so much the specific sensor. It is the idea we might be able to save time, money and even lives by adopting this kind of low-tech approach.

"I want to develop biosensors that are easy to use but give a high level of sensitivity," he says. "All you need for this, for instance, is to know how to use a dropper and a timer."

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Texas at Austin.

Journal Reference:

Brian A. Zaccheo, Richard M. Crooks. Self-Powered Sensor for Naked-Eye Detection of Serum Trypsin. Analytical Chemistry, 2011; 83 (4): 1185 DOI: 10.1021/ac103115z

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here