Engineers have developed a new a mobile detection system to fight the growing threat of contaminated drinking water. Within the European research project DINAMICS they have built a microchip system which is able to identify specific dangerous bacteria, viruses or unicellular organisms
The technology uses several nano-biological sensors to monitor the presence of several bioterrorism agents in drinking water. On location, the system will filter a sample of water and – in case of a contamination – it will send out a signal to the authorities who will take actions according to a national or local action plan.
The know-how developed within the project is not only limited to detecting water contamination. The technology can also be transferred to different industrial applications, such as medical diagnostics or pharmaceutical manufacturing.