Biomaterials are used in devices that interact with the human body during diagnostic procedures and surgery, and in tissue implants. A new biomaterial that is elastic, conducts electricity and supports living cells was fabricated at IISc recently. It has promising applications in robotics and medicine. The article is published online in the Journal of Materials Chemistry B.
Scientist Profile: Professor S Mohan
A state of the art water management system, which can change how the water supply in the city is managed, is now ready for Bengaluru. Researchers at IISc, in collaboration with IBM and Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB), presented the software at the 12th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry in Italy. The proceedings have been published in the international journal Procedia Engineering.
Among viruses, the Hepatitis C virus is extremely persistent – a patient sometimes cannot get rid of the virus after infection, and it remains in their cells over long periods of time. The standard HCV treatment is effective over time only in half the patients, making Hepatitis C the bane of doctors and scientists worldwide. Researchers at the Therapeutic Engineering Lab at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, think they may know more about why the disease is persistent. Using simulations, they found that the Hepatitis C virus and the body’s immune system get into a deadlock when the body is fighting the virus.
Here is a possible addition to medical technology: a tiny needle, about a thousand times thinner than the thinnest hospital syringe available today. The needle can pierce the skin and deliver drugs directly into the body.
Looking at satellite images of an area and being able to tell what crop is being grown, will be a great resource to improve agricultural productivity. Though satellite images show crop growth from planting to harvest and abnormalities, using them to identify crop type accurately is a challenging problem.
Over the last few centuries, we have gained a decent understanding of nature. However, every now and then, nature plays a surprising new card to stun and intrigue. One such new observation has led to the discovery of a new behaviour operating in crystalline materials.
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, have developed a tiny gas sensor that can detect harmful gases like toluene and acetone, gases that we encounter in our daily lives. These sensors could replace the big, expensive instruments that are currently available in the market.
The Centre for Sustainable Technologies at the Indian Institute of Science has a strange roof that generates power. which produces more than 10 units (kWh) of electricity daily through the year. This can power four tubelights, four fans and a couple of computers daily. The secret of this lies in the solar-panel roof that besides harvesting sunlight also shelter the indoors.
A novel battery using sodium compounds has been developed, which can potentially be used to provide electricity for grid-power storage in remote areas and renewable energy generators like solar cells and wind turbines. Though scientists have been trying to use sodium in batteries for some time, this is the first time they have been able to achieve an operating voltage as high as 3.8 V.