DATUM Mar. 2014 | Page 18

Datum 2014 tients of all ages, the biosensor was Made of quality leather, lined not in use. The ring would detect the developed specifically with young in Italian canvas, and able to carry a hand motions and send the data to patients in mind. Many children with 15 inch laptop, the case is also stylish the bracelet, where the signs would congenital heart defects require enough for urbanites. then be translated into spoken word a series of operations throughout Detecting Disease with Bees their lives, and pediatric cardiologist Dr. Allen D. Everett noticed the neurodevelopment problems that would occur as a result of the re- A new device that uses bees peated surgeries. as well as displayed as text on the bracelet’s screen. The Sign Language Ring is a 2013 Red Dot award winning design. to detect cancer and other diseases could give dogs some new competi- To address the issue, he Ultrasound Insulin Delivery tion. used an organic thin film transistor as the platform for a sensor able to detect glial fibrillary acidic protein the bee-powered sensor is made (GFAP), a biomarker for brain injury. up of pair of chambers: a smaller The detector is extremely sensitive one, called the diagnosis space, and betic sufferers ‘inject’ their insu- to the protein, and can alert the a larger chamber that holds the lin with ultrasound could provide a medical team to the occurrence of a trained bees. The patient breathes pleasant alternative to the daily, mul- stroke, allowing them to take imme- into the smaller chamber, and the tiple injections. diate measures. The sensor could bees, which have been taught to also eventually be used at sporting connect certain smells with a food events to detect concussions in ath- reward, will move toward the per- ultrasound pulses to inject insulin- letes. son’s breath if they detect their trig- filled nanoparticles just under the pa- ger smell. tient’s skin. The nanoparticles would La Fonction No. 1 is an Office in a Briefcase The La Fonction No.1 is a sleek, mobile office that folds out negatively charged coating, which trained to respond to certain smells would allow them to attach to each in only ten minutes. Once the bee other instead of spreading through- has been captured, trained and per- out the body. As the insulin slowly formed its duty, it is released to re- seeped through the porous nanopar- turn to the hive. ticles, the electrostatic force will also Sign Language Ring Translates for the Hearing shared-office users. Inspired by the ways early sheltered The technique involves using have either a positively charged or handy workspace for travelers or photographers A new device that lets dia- According to Soares, bees can be from a briefcase—creating a private, Created by Susan Soares, them- keep it from spreading. A hand-held ultrasound de- vice is used to release the insulin into the bloodstream when the person is ready for a dose. The device is used selves from the light, the sides and externally, and is held just above top of La Fonction No. 1 can be The Sign Language Ring the site of the nano-network to de- opened and folded to create an or- concept tracks the signing motions liver focused waves of ultrasound ganized working zone. Other office made by the user and translates to the particles. The team believes necessities, such as pens and pa- them into audio and written text. the waves excite tiny gas bubbles in pers, can be stored in the internal the tissue, temporarily disrupting the compartments, which are located The system would consist force holding the particles together within handy reach when the case is of a bracelet and six rings, which and thus allowing the insulin to be in workstation mode. are stored on the bracelet when released into the bloodstream. 14