⚕️A sweat-powered health monitor, using trees as an alternative resource, a new plastic that degrades in the sea

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A new electronic finger wrap marks a significant advancement in wearable health technology. No more blood tests.

This non-invasive health monitoring system harnesses sweat on a person’s finger to monitor and power the device. It could revolutionize healthcare by making it accessible and personalized. 

“We’re just beginning to see what’s possible with this wearable microgrid technology,” researchers told IE. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on jobs.interestingengineering.com:

> Data Engineer 2 (CPS Energy)
> Enterprise Cloud Platform Engineer (MERN, AWS)

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MUST-READ

⚕️From fingertip to insight: tracking health with sweat-powered sensors

Researchers at UC Diego are developing a sweat-powered finger sensor that is seeking to replace inconvenient and impractical blood tests. They don’t provide continuous results.

The finger sensor continues to work no matter what the person is doing, thus providing 24/7 monitoring. For those with chronic conditions, the finger sensor could save their lives.

The device extracts valuable data from sweat, such as glucose levels, and also powers itself with sweat-derived energy. It also opens up the possibility of autonomous medication supply should certain conditions be met (like the need for insulin in diabetics).

🌳 US scientists new method turns trees into low-cost industrial chemicals

The name on everyone’s lips is: lingin.

North Carolina State University scientists and engineers just made headway in deriving chemicals from trees as a sustainable alternative to petroleum.

A study discovered that lignin’s methoxy content determines whether or not a tree can be used for industrial chemicals. The lower a tree’s lignin methoxy content, the more degradable it is.

“This means that the process for turning trees into chemicals can operate like a conventional industrial process, making it more likely to be adopted.”

🌊 Scientists create plastic that degrades 15 times faster than paper in the sea

Millions of tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. Researchers have thus been investigating the biodegradation of plastic for years, trying to figure out which types break down the fastest.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) discovered a bioplastic (CDA) derived from cellulose found in plant cell walls degrades the fastest in marine environments. Researchers even figured out how to accelerate that process.

The study’s findings could help steer industries away from traditional plastics and toward more eco-friendly alternatives.

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