universityoftexasarlington
Latest
A breath monitor could soon be used to detect the flu
What if you could pick up a device from the drug store that could tell you if you have the flu and save you a trip to the doctor? That's one possibility for a breath-analyzing gadget that University of Texas at Arlington professor Perena Gouma has developed. The device is similar to the breathalyzers law enforcement use to determine if you've had too much to drink. The difference is that it employs low-cost sensors to analyze a person's breath and isolate biomarkers that can indicate whether or not you have the flu.
Researchers develop tiny windmills that can power your gadgets (video)
Portable solar chargers aren't so out of the ordinary anymore, but minuscule windmills that can charge your phones? Now, those are something new. A couple of UT Arlington researchers, Smitha Rao and J.C. Chiao, have developed wind turbines so small (they measure 1.8mm at their widest), you can stick 10 of them on a grain of rice. One possible application is to embed a bunch of the Lilliputian devices onto a phone sleeve -- you can then simply hold your phone out the window or place it in front of a fan to recharge. Since the tiny windmills are made of durable nickel alloy, you won't have to worry about strong wings blowing their little blades off, either. Although it's still too early to say if this leads to an actual product, a Taiwanese company is already exploring commercial opportunities, so cross your fingers if you dream of owning a wind farm for ants.
