Machines and Intelligence
Technology
Sensor that detects Water Contamination
October 11, 2015ApuroopRO water purifiers,UV water purifiers,Activated carbon purifiers....Got fed up with these things?? Imagine if there is a filter that can detect contaminations in the water and can remove all that at once like an Antivirus. This could be Awesome right! We have reached one step in fulfilling our imagination. A group of students from the Technical University of Denmark,however,have created a sensor that can detect bacteria in Water instantly,on the spot.
We know that 70 percent of the world is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh. The rest is saline and ocean-based. Even then, just 1 percent of our freshwater is easily accessible, with much of it trapped in glaciers and snowfields. In this present Generation it is hard to get Purified Water to drink due to water contaminating by present industries.Currently, if you want to check water supplies for the presence of toxic bacteria, you have to take a water sample and then culture it in a lab over several days. In the meantime, it's impossible to say if the water source is safe to use or not.
Students from the Technical University of Denmark, developed through spin-off company SBT Aqua, the sensor utilizes a technique known as impedance flow cytometry.
This technique involves running a liquid sample continuously through a microfluidic channel. Within that channel there are series of electrodes, to which a multi-voltage electrical signal is applied. When bacteria and other particles flow across those electrodes, they cause a change in impedance, which is detected by the sensor.
Because the impedance change caused by bacteria is different than that of other waterborne particles, it's reportedly possible to differentiate between the two, and to obtain accurate real-time readings of their relative concentrations within the sample. in fact, the changes vary even between different types of bacteria present in the water.
The sensor could also be integrated into multiple interconnected unmanned water-testing stations along one waterway. If any of them detected harmful bacteria, they could instantly raise an alarm, with the network tracking the flow of the contamination.
The sensor is expected to be commercially available in the next year.
Source: Technical University of Denmark
Source: Technical University of Denmark
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