And in even more medical sensor news, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a low-cost method of detecting bacterial infection using an artificial nose. To sniff out the particular strain of bacterium, a broad-sensitivity array is attached to the underside of a Petri dish lid and a sample of the patient’s blood is swabbed onto a standard agar medium. The 36 points of cross-reactive pigment change color when they detect specific chemicals–the by-products of bacterial growth. Continue reading
