Pee Power
NEED electricity? All it takes is a drop of
urine, the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN)
discovered.
While test kits for certain conditions like pregnancy do not require power for diagnosis, tests for other diseases like diabetes need a current to generate results.
Existing diagnostic kits use conventional batteries as a power source, and are not portable.
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As it is, IBN researchers have solved the puzzle by finding a solution in none other than the very source for diagnosis — the urine sample.
It will soon roll out the world's first urine-activated paper battery — a multi-layer device measuring 60mm by 30mm with a thickness of just 1mm — for use in test kits running biochip devices.
With just one drop of urine placed on the paper battery, enough electricity will be generated to power the biochip device that can analyse the urine sample for disease biomarkers, or substances in the blood that can indicate the presence of certain diseases.
I can see this being developed into a kit to be carried in police cars -- for instant drug and alcohol testing.
Posted: Tue - August 16, 2005 at 08:47 PM