| Antibacterial Gauze |
Listen | Wound dressings can actually cause infections if they’re not changed regularly or disposed of properly. But a newly-engineered gauze should remain germ-free.
07/05/2009 |
| | Randy Atkins: An antimicrobial chemical
is irreversibly bonded to the gauze.
Chris Batich: It is totally immobilized
on the surface, so nothing gets into the wound to interfere with (the wound)
healing.
Randy Atkins: Chris
Batich, a University of Florida
materials engineer who developed its super-stick properties for Quick-Med
Technologies, says the microbicide…
Chris Batich: …basically kills bacteria by tearing up the membrane protecting
the bacteria. It kills like 99.99% of the bacteria that touch it.
Randy Atkins: Even if you forget to change the bandage. With the
National Academy of Engineering, Randy Atkins, 103-point-5 F-M and WTOP-dot-com.
The new gauze is currently only
available to physicians.
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| Germ-Detecting Paper |
Listen | We’re used to anti-bacterial soaps, sprays, and such…but how do you know you’ve killed everything dangerous? Even better might be products that spot disease-causing germs.
06/28/2009 |
| | Randy Atkins: Robert
Pelton, a chemical engineer at
Canada’s McMaster University, leads a team of researchers attaching biosensors
to paper.
Robert Pelton: You want to find dangerous
bacteria in a sea of friendly ones.
Randy Atkins: Labs do it with sensitive
chemicals and equipment. The trick is making a product that can last
on grocery shelves.
Robert Pelton: A simple paper towel
that you could just wipe across the surface that would perhaps change color
if it detected something that was dangerous.
Randy Atkins: Other applications might
include face masks and meat wrappers. With the National Academy of
Engineering, Randy Atkins, 103-point-5 F-M and WTOP-dot-com.
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| Snake Secrets |
Listen | New research is uncovering the secrets of how a snake slithers…and inspiring ideas for technologies that might save human lives.
06/21/2009 |
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Randy Atkins: The scales on a snake’s belly turn out to be a key to its
movement. David Hu, a Georgia Tech mechanical engineer, says they’re
designed like overlapping shingles…easily sliding in one direction, and
digging in in the other.
David Hu: We could account for 65-percent of the snake’s speed simply
based on the properties of the scales alone.
Randy Atkins: Hu says most of the rest comes from the snake shifting its
weight.
David Hu: It can push its scales against the ground in directions that
will actually generate friction that will force it to move forward.
Randy Atkins: If engineers can mimic snake movements, applications might
include robots that can slither into disaster scenes or even our bodies.
With the National Academy of Engineering, Randy Atkins, 103 point
5 F-M and WTOP-dot-com.
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- The paper
by Hu and colleagues in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Movies
of snake movements from the experiments
- A book
on biologically-inspired, snake-like robots
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