Devices That Dissolve Inside Human Body Coming
- 12 years ago
Devices That Dissolve Inside Human Body Coming - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
Technological advancements in communication and medicine are reaching science fiction-like levels. A new electronic device that dissolves inside a human body is being developed for medical uses. Made of silicon and magnesium oxide in a protective layer of silk, the device has been used already to fight bacterial infections in a wound. A variety of uses including a 64 pixel digital camera and temperature sensors have been laboratory tested, and even more uses of the technology are distinct possibilities. The development could make other devices more sustainable in the future. "Imagine the environmental benefits if cell phones, for example, could just dissolve instead of languishing in landfills for years," said Professor Fiorenzo Omenetto, from Tufts school of engineering.
The technology is a spin on existing sensors that are flexible and are capable of monitoring heart rates, and brain activity. The device is thinner than a human hair, and could be used to replace the equipment currently used in hospitals that can be large and unwieldy.
Technological advancements in communication and medicine are reaching science fiction-like levels. A new electronic device that dissolves inside a human body is being developed for medical uses. Made of silicon and magnesium oxide in a protective layer of silk, the device has been used already to fight bacterial infections in a wound. A variety of uses including a 64 pixel digital camera and temperature sensors have been laboratory tested, and even more uses of the technology are distinct possibilities. The development could make other devices more sustainable in the future. "Imagine the environmental benefits if cell phones, for example, could just dissolve instead of languishing in landfills for years," said Professor Fiorenzo Omenetto, from Tufts school of engineering.
The technology is a spin on existing sensors that are flexible and are capable of monitoring heart rates, and brain activity. The device is thinner than a human hair, and could be used to replace the equipment currently used in hospitals that can be large and unwieldy.