A team of engineers at the National University of Singapore has developed a highly sensitive system that uses a mobile phone to detect toxic algae in water within 15 minutes.
The new system can reach the results at the same test site and then transmit them using a mobile phone via wireless communication technologies at the same time as the results appear.
Such a system could play a significant role in preventing the spread of harmful microorganisms in aquatic environments, threatening global public health and potentially causing serious environmental problems.
Increasing the amount of harmful algae and associated toxins in lakes, rivers and coastal areas is detrimental to water quality, which negatively affects human health, marine ecosystems and water supplies. For example, the spread of algae in Singapore in 2015 led to the elimination of 500 tonnes of fish, causing fish farmers to lose millions of dollars.
The new device consists of three parts, the first of which is an electronic chip and a bowl made in a holographic way that contains optical and electrical components for testing and finally a smartphone.
The website said "Tech Explorer" that the price of the new mobile system does not exceed $ 220 without calculating the price of the phone and does not weigh more than 600 grams. The system produces very accurate results based on a small amount of water.
The study team confirmed that the system was able to detect four different types of algae in water samples with accuracy of 90 percent compared to the findings of electronic devices specialized in this area.
