With money from the U.S. Department of Defense, University of Arizona researchers built a sensor able to detect tiny amounts of a byproduct of an odorless, tasteless and toxic gas.
Now the U.S. Army has awarded the group another $2.1 million to rebuild their device as one that soldiers could carry.
The team of UA researchers first made a laboratory device able to sense miniscule amounts of chemical weapons in the air, such as of the deadly nerve-gas Sarin.
Associate professor of biomedical engineering and optical sciences, Judith Su, said the new mission to miniaturize is doable now because technology has advanced quickly in recent years.
“You’re going from some optical table that’s about three by five feet and you’re trying to miniaturize it into something about the size of your iPhone,” Su said. “So this next phase is going to focus on making things portable, handheld, something that can work outside of the laboratory and have real-world impact.”
The work is scheduled to take three years.
Su said a sensor made with microtoroid optical resonators had also been used to study biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and ovarian cancer.
She says a portable version in the future could offer ways to identify mold and air contaminated by illness.
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Anyone who was at Gilbert's Hale Theatre on Jan. 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 should watch for symptoms of measles through the end of this month. -
Between August 2024 and August 2025, the number of overdose deaths in Arizona rose by almost 18%, while they fell by 20% nationally. -
A recent survey finds more than half of health care workers nationwide say they plan to look for a new job in the next year, either within their organization or outside of it. -
Here in Arizona, 2025 was our second hottest year on record — with 122 days above 100 degrees and higher nighttime and winter temperatures as well. -
Across the Mountain West, where drought and shrinking reservoirs are putting pressure on already limited water supplies, decisions about who uses how much water often hinge on imperfect data. A nonprofit collaboration called OpenET hopes to change that.
