D0GG Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 A paper battery that generates electricity from urine has been developed by scientists in Singapore to provide a new way to have a medical check-up.The new battery will be ideal for cheap, disposable health care test kits for diabetes, among other ailments.Scientists are trying to design ever smaller "biochips" that can test for a variety of diseases at once, give instant results, and, crucially, can be mass produced. But until now, no one has been able to make a power source as small and as cheap as the detection technology itself.Led by Dr Ki Bang Lee, a research team at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology describes the latest advance today in the Institute of Physics' Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering.The paper battery is small, cheap to produce and uses the fluid being tested (urine) as the power source for the device doing the testing for glucose, in the case of diabetes, and other chemicals.Dr Lee envisages a world where people can use disposable home test kits that do not require lithium batteries or external power sources."We are striving to develop cheap, disposable credit card-sized biochips for disease detection. Our battery can be easily integrated into such devices, supplying electricity upon contact with biofluids such as urine," he said.The battery unit is made from a layer of paper steeped in copper chloride and sandwiched between strips of magnesium and copper. This is then laminated. The final product is 60mm by 30mm, with a thickness of just 1mm.Using 0.2ml of urine, Dr Lee generated a voltage of around 1.5V with a corresponding maximum power of 1.5mW.The work complements the "Intelligence Toilet" system, created by Japan's largest lavatory company, Toto, that can measure sugar levels in urine, blood pressure, body fat and weight, but costs nearly £2,000.Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsane Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 kinda gross, but i remember back in the old 'pee bomb' topic someone mentioned pee is actually quite clean...oh, and don't forget, if your ever stranded in the ocean drink your piss once all the water's gone. salt water actually DEhidrates you, dead serious, it's either piss or death :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SliverSamuel Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 anyone ever drank piss before? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erRor67 Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Not I, but it will save ur life if you have nothing else ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoLFaN Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 assuming u are stranded in the ocean, by the time u water runs out ur piss will be clear, and then it will be super clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus_Hunt Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Now I dont want to venture ever into an ocean... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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