New 3D-Imaging Sensor Lets You See Inside Walls

                A company in Israel has developed a new 3D-imaging sensor that can let you ‘see’ inside walls using your smartphone. The device, called Walabot, can look through walls to detect structural foundations, plastic and metal pipes, electrical wires and studs. Walabot instantly turns a smartphone into a powerful 3D-imaging system at your fingertips. This advanced technology lets people see all kinds of things hidden in the world around them, adding yet another dimension to the way people use smart devices today. The device looks into cement, drywall and tells you it’s depth, and even detect movement behind walls.

                Apart from various sample apps, Walabot also gives makers and inventors around the world the opportunity to develop content that takes advantage of the 3D imaging sensor technology. Walabot technology is simple and intuitive, so people with any level of experience can use it. Walabot makes highly sophisticated imaging technology approachable, affordable and usable for everyone. It can help the blind avoid obstacles, sense – and alert you – if your mother or father has fallen in the shower and much more.

Now, Heart Attack Diagnosis in a Minute

                Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have developed an electrical immunosensor for detection of heart attacks, which provides results in just one minute. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women and, therefore, a fast and reliable diagnosis is urgently needed. The system works by measuring the level of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a protein that is excreted by the heart muscle into the blood following a heart attack.  This new immunosensor is constructed in a different way than any other sensors. Owing to the new design, this device is able to rapidly diagnose the level of heart attacks at the point of care. Using just a single droplet of blood, this immunosensor detects the target protein present in the serum following a heart attack and provides the result in one minute.

                In the study, dielectophoretic (DEP) forces were applied to attract target protein. The incubation time required for detection was decreased through DEP-mediated biomarker concentration, where the target protein was attracted onto the sensing areas via electrical forces. This reduced the incubation time from 60 minutes to one minute. The level of cTnI within a single droplet of blood serum is not great. However, they were able to attract the target protein onto the sensing areas via electrical forces, thereby greatly improving detection time and detection limit. According to researchers, this immunosensor holds considerable potential for use as a platform for sensing distinct types of proteins, along with the feasibility of miniaturization and integration for biomedical diagnosis.