FISH ROBOTS TO DETECT WATER POLLUTION

British scientists are slated to release into Spanish seas five carp-shaped fish robots which are capable of detecting water pollution.

Built by Essex University researchers, the 1.5-meter-long robots have an eight-hour battery and move like real fish.

They are equipped with chemical sensors which enable them to detect harmful contaminants such as leaks from vessels or underwater pipelines.

Costing $29,000 each, the robots swim at a maximum speed of about one meter per second, do not need remote controlling and transmit information using Wi-Fi technology.

The fish robots will navigate the Bay of Biscay at Gijon in northern Spain as part of a three-year joint project between the engineering consultancy BMT Group and Essex University.

"The hope is that this will prevent potentially hazardous discharges at sea as the leak would undoubtedly get worse over time if not located," AFP quoted Professor Huosheng Hu of Essex University as saying.

If the project is successful, the fish could also be used in rivers, lakes and seas across the world to prevent the spread of pollution.

fish robot

Monday, March 23, 2009

WORLDS FIRST NON - CONTACT THERMOMETER


A company called Kidz-Med, Inc. has launched a new thermometer called, "Thermofocus", claiming it as the first thermometer to take accurate body temperature readings without touching the body.

The product's website says it can read infrared heat eminating from a person's forehead, and give results as accurate as a rectal thermometer, and more accurate than an ear thermometer.

The reason why they recommend pointing the device to the forehead is because the head is supplied with blood from the temporal artery, which receives blood through the aorta and the carotid artery, guaranteeing a considerable flow of blood. Moreover, the forehead is the only part of the body close to the brain that is not covered in hair.

Kidz-Med says you can also use the Thermofocus to take the temperatures of baby formula, bath water, and food.

This might be the start of the first Medical Tricorder?
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