Robotic hand pokes food and water to tell if they have mercury in them

A robotic hand with a tiny sensor on certainly one of its fingers can detect probably dangerous mercury ions in samples of meals and water by prodding them

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

A robotic hand outfitted with a tiny sensor can detect dangerous mercury ions in water or meals by poking it.

The World Health Organization considers mercury a chemical of main public concern as a result of it could actually trigger well being points if consumed through contaminated water or animals which have been uncovered to it. Methods for detecting mercury in meals and the atmosphere exist, however most contain difficult and dear laboratory tools and generally lengthy processing occasions. So Snigdha Roy Barman on the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan and her colleagues determined to develop a faster and less complicated method.

Their sensor is …