Researchers Say We're Closer To Technology That Diagnoses Diseases At Home

What if a device could diagnose your cold, flu, or viral infection at home? A team of Norwegian scientists say this tech may be within our reach in the next few years.

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Building microresonators

Published in the journal Nature, the paper describes the "first high-quality microresonators" that can access the longwave infrared spectrum of light for advanced detection and imaging.

"We¡¯ve built the lowest loss whispering gallery mode microresonator out there for the longwave infrared spectrum," Dingding Ren, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Electronic Systems, in a press release. "Because the longwave infrared spectrum provides definitive information about chemicals, it provides new possibility for sensing applications," Ren added.

NTNU

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This means that researchers can now utilise longer light wavelengths - potentially opening up avenues of new possibilities in this domain, including gadgets that sense small differences in illnesses when fed a sample.

Given that influenza, common cold, and Covid-19 all have similar and overlapping symptoms, such gadgets could come in extremely handy to quickly diagnose oneself. In the press release, researchers added that this tech could be potentially used to detect diabetes.

What are microresonators?

A type of optical cavity, microresonators can store optical information in a small container. Within the microresonator, light is able to travel in circles. "Our microresonator is about 100 times better than what was available before for the longwave infrared spectrum," Ren said.

"It can retain the light 100 times longer than previous versions, which amplifies the optical field inside and makes nonlinear processes much easier, such as frequency comb generation."

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The new microresonator would utilise light to find traces of viruses and bacteria on a sample - a process called spectroscopic chemical identification.

The tech was built using native germanium - a common element found in numerous electronic devices such as transistors. The best part of germanium is that it's inexpensive, making such tech more accessible to everyone in the long run. Currently, such technology is only available in hospitals.

What do you think about diagnosing illnesses at home? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Influenza or a cold? A new technology can help you. (n.d.). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/975410

Jones, A. M. (2022, December 30). One step closer to smart tech that could diagnose you at home, researchers announce. CTVNews. https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/one-step-closer-to-smart-tech-that-could-diagnose-you-at-home-researchers-announce-1.6212473