Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PhySense (Physarum Sensor: Biosensor for Citizen Scientists)
Período documentado: 2017-06-01 hasta 2018-08-31
Biosensor technology is based on a specific biological recognition element in combination with a transducer for signal processing. Since its inception, biosensors have been expected to play a significant analytical role in medicine, agriculture, food safety, homeland security, environmental and industrial monitoring. However, the commercialisation of biosensor technology has significantly lagged behind the research output as reflected by a plethora of publications and patenting activities. The rationale behind the slow and limited technology transfer could be attributed to cost considerations and some key technical barriers. Analytical chemistry has changed considerably, driven by automation, miniaturisation, and system integration with high throughput for multiple tasks. Such requirements pose a great challenge in biosensor technology which is often designed to detect one single or a few target analytes. Successful biosensors must be versatile to support interchangeable bio-recognition elements, and in addition miniaturisation must be feasible to allow automation for parallel sensing with ease of operation at a competitive cost. A significant upfront investment in research and development is a prerequisite in the commercialisation of biosensors. The progress in such endeavours is incremental with limited success, thus, the market entry for a new venture is very difficult unless a niche product can be developed with a considerable market volume.
Our goal was to manufacture, market and support open source an open hardware very low cost universal (chemical, tactile, optical) bio-sensor incorporating easy-to-maintain living substrate -- slime mould Physarum polycephalum. The Physarum sensors is based on exhaustive analysis of the slime mould oscillatory activity in PhyChip project. The goal was achieved via the following measurable objectives:
(1) Pre-production prototype, (2) Field trial with typical operators, (2) Robust data set in the matrices of interest.
Industry and agriculture are tapping into the benefits more capable sensors and instrumentation can provide. More capable sensors enable manufacturers to drive significant improvements in process and plant efficiency, product quality and safety. But while an increasing number of organisations are recognising the need to implement more sensors, or more capable sensors within their processes and facilities, deployment often proves challenging. PhySense will be the first ever living sensorial devices on the market. Cost-effective and eco-compatible sensing device applied to two relevant problem of the modern society, such as air pollution and use of chemicals in organic agriculture. Researcher, academics, school students and science enthusiasts will get a unique tool to develop interdisciplinary activities and get involved in gaining a larger knowledge far exceeding that of their field of specialization.
Extent of economic and/or societal benefits is as following. There are no biosensors (apart of glucose) on the market which general public and schools can afford. Our device, costing c. 30 EUR, will be an ultimate breakthrough in the niche of bio-sensing products. Complementary benefits are that the slime mould is a standard species for school experiments on light-avoidance and chemo-taxis, our device will allow schools to introduce subjects of non-linear media, wave-propagation in living substrates and physiology of myxomycetes. Moreover, as demonstrated in PhyChip one can make a self-routing wires, memristors (resistors with memory), transistors, electronic oscillators, robot controllers with slime mould. Thus a range of applications and research and educational experiments propagates far beyond sensing.