A cheap, fast, and highly portable way to detect potentially deadly E. coli in water, all thanks to a team from the University of Waterloo.
Team leader, Dr. Carolyn Ren, told 570 NewsRadio, ‘We’re talking about a minute, versus hours or days” for current test methods.
Ren explained that by the time a test sample gets to a lab — assuming it’s not been ruined in transit — and gets back the test results, water tainted by E. coli might already have been consumed.
But the new device can fit in the palm of a person’s hand and deliver results in a minute. It only costs $70 to build, with testing tips going for about $1 each.
For now, the device is simply called a microwave sensor.
Dr. Ren is a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering and the Canada Research Chair in Microfluidic Technologies at Waterloo. She says the O157 strain of E. coli can be fatal, and having an inexpensive and fast water test will be so much better than the current, much slower tests.
A statement from the University says the device “could help save lives and reduce illness.”
And, “its potential is especially significant in developing countries where people are more vulnerable to E. coli contamination and access to lab-based testing is limited.”
Experts say it can be easily scaled up for larger water samples and international E. coli testing standards.