Universal Surface Scanner Detected 104
mcgrew writes to tell us that scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have created a new system that can test any surface for just about anything. "Their idea uses a thin layer of metal drilled with nanoscale holes, laid onto the surface being tested. When the perforated plate is zapped with laser light, the surface plasmons that form emit light with a frequency related to the materials touching the plate. A sensitive light detector is needed to measure the frequency of light given off. The team says devices using this approach can be small and portable, will work on very low power, and could detect everything from explosives to bacteria. All that needs to be done now is build a system able to decode the light signatures."
Summary (Score:5, Funny)
R&D: We have this awesome device! And it can tell you everything about anything!
Boss: That sounds great, so what does it say about, say, this test material?
R&D: ....
R&D: We don't know yet. We don't know how to read it yet.
Re:Summary (Score:5, Insightful)
Sounds like a good way to obtain more funding.
Write up another grant proposal or three, have another round of graduate students write their thesis/dissertations on the project, etc.
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You will see this happening a lot with anything to do with materials analysis (defect analysis/ quality control).
Project proposal #1 : Develop a method of acquiring the data
Project proposal #2 : Build up a database of samples
Project proposal #3 : Classify new samples based on database
Project proposal #4 : Develop methods of creating synthetic data from existing database entries
If they were to apply this method to security, they would have to get samples of different home-made, industrial and military explos
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They would probably only need debris from something destroyed. There should be usable residue on it.
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Asians are far from boring; they're soft, slick, and tight like a closed fist even when well into the MILF stage.
And that's just the men!
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aaaah fuck. I was trying to do something like this...
heh they hit the stumbling block I was thinking that would be a problem. The decoding of all that data... mmmm... unleash the fury of Fourier on that shit.
Re:Summary (Score:4, Funny)
Co-worker: I've not slept for a whole week trying to write this report. I thought I'd never make it, but last night I caught a lucky break, and got a visit from some Monkey Gods who wrote the entire thing for me.
Dilbert: Wow. Lucky break.
Co-worker: Now all I need is someone who can translate his simple yet beautiful language...
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This [blogspot.com] is what I thought of as soon as I read the summary.
All that needs to be done... (Score:2)
Yea, and I can travel through time. The only thing I need is to build a time machine.
Now we know! (Score:3, Insightful)
Finally we know what goes between:
1. Shine a laser on a surface full of nanoscale holes. ...and...
3. Profit!
Finally! (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Finally! (Score:5, Informative)
No, you need to use the Preview feature.
Re:Finally! (Score:4, Funny)
Maybe you can help me. I accidentally a whole McDonald's hamburger patty.
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The WHOLE THING?! Geez man, how dare you accidentally a whole patty?
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I saw a picture of a guy that deliberately a whole patty, and sideways! You can see his website at .cx!
Food Tricorder (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe now we will be able to determine what can be found McDonald's hamburger patty.
You laugh, but what I'd like to do with such a thing ain't so far off the mark from that...
Basically, my wife has Celiac disease - if she eats food that has wheat flour or bread crumbs in it (even in very small quantities) it makes her sick. Long-term consequences from repeated poisonings include a higher risk of intestinal cancer...
So the problem is, eating out, it's often hard to know what's safe to eat. If I could get some kind of scanner that could detect gluten in food... that would be awesome.
Of course, from the way this thing works it sounds like the gluten would have to be somewhere near the surface of the food... So I guess it's way too early to get excited...
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Carry around a mass spectrometer.
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100% beef? At least where I live.
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Actually they often can, especially if they have a link. My sig on the old sm62704 account linked to its explanation.
But on topic, light's wavelength can be measured exactly (or close enough to "exact" that it doesn't matter), and TFA wasn't too clear and I was too lazy to read the patent application, but it looks like that's how this thing works. If not, I'm sure someone smarter than me will correct me.
It's a tricorder! (Score:1)
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Re:It's a tricorder! (Score:4, Informative)
Actually "Star Trek tricorder invented" is what I had for a headline in the original submission, and it's what the blurb on New Scientist's page said.
Don't let anybody tell you ScuttleMonkey doesn't edit!
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That that is what that little round thing with the flashing light thingie is.
It is the surface material scanner doo-hickey!
Bacteria? (Score:4, Interesting)
Would this type of detector be able to differentiate between species of bacteria?
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And the punchline is ... (Score:2, Funny)
The computer prints the following:
1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener.
2. Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo.
3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab.
4. Your wife is pregnant...twin girls. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer.
5. If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better.
sounds like the gas chromatograph... (Score:2)
Professor Frink:
Brace yourselves gentlemen. According to the gas chromatograph, the secret ingredient is... Love!? Who's been screwing with this thing?
I happen to be an expert in SPR (Score:5, Interesting)
And the optical sensor, while being non-trivial, doens't just sense magically everything from explosives to bacteria. You have to chemically engineer receptors . That's also very non-trivial.
yes, but can it detect explosive bacteria? (Score:5, Interesting)
if it's just down to detecting the frequency of the light emitted, couldn't some sort of photovoltaic or photoelectric sensor be designed so that you wouldn't have to chemically engineer receptors for different kinds of surfaces, but rather just program the software to identify the surface material?
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Re:yes, but can it detect explosive bacteria?
Hey, I had a macho combo bean burrito for lunch. You don't need any fancy equipment to detect the presence of these explosive bacteria.
Re:yes, but can it detect explosive bacteria? (Score:5, Informative)
It's not about detecting frequency. It's about detecting the conversion of light energy to plasmon-polariton energy. This is typically done by monitoring the change of intensity somehow. The polarization work that I mentioned was a very interesting method of detecting this conversion, because only one polarization (p-polarization) will convert.
Plasmons are very sensitive to the localized index of refraction at a surface. To put it simply, you change the localized index of refraction by sticking something to the surface, like a chemical or a virus envelope protein or a bacteria. When something sticks, it changes the conversion efficiency of light.
However, ANYTHING sticking will change the conversion efficiency of light: the amount depends only on the relative index of refraction of the adsorbed material and it's thickness.
To have a chemical or biological sensor, you have to engineer receptors, so that only certain things stick to certain places. One of the nice things about this gadget is that it is an array sensor, so they can put numerous receptors down (e.g. one for hepatitis-c virus envelope protein in one spot, one for e-coli in another spot).
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So what you're saying, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that it's done by... magic?
Any sufficiently advanced Arthur C. Clarke quote is indistinguishable from omniscience.
Maybe... (Score:2)
if it's just down to detecting the frequency of the light emitted, couldn't some sort of photovoltaic or photoelectric sensor be designed so that you wouldn't have to chemically engineer receptors for different kinds of surfaces, but rather just program the software to identify the surface material?
Yes, what you're describing is effectively using a vector of many pieces of information to distinguish between various samples as opposed to relying on a binary receptor. Many detection mechanisms work that wa
Re:yes, but can it detect explosive bacteria? (Score:4, Informative)
This is clearly their intention. However, for a spectroscopic solution to work, they must have clear spectral features for their target species, they must have a laser that can cover all the possible frequencies of interest, and a detector that will detect all the relevant frequencies. So, if they combine a universal laser with a universal spectrometer, their universal surface sensor will be complete.
For some target materials, the problem of distinct and unique spectral features can be a big one. For things like bacteria, containing a multitude of molecules with similar spectral features but slightly different function, you end up with spectral soup. I believe that there are some spectral features that indicate that you have bacteria, and not some other generic background material, such as pollen. However, you then need to say that you have some nasty material, and not just the usual microbes that are everywhere. I don't know how you do that without chemical receptors. Finally, if the receptors rely on DNA, you need to do a bit of biochemistry to actually get to the DNA.
Explosives could work, since you're dealing with specific molecules. However, in many scenarios if you need to touch the sample you're too damn close.
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while i'm a little too scientifically-illiterate to understand some of the other explanations that have been given, the use of a universal laser + universal spectrometer does make sense to me. i believe photovoltaic materials only react to a certain frequency range, and then its current output only reflects the intensity of the light, not the frequency or spectrum of light being absorbed, so that wouldn't be useful for this application.
i don't know how small a compact spectrograph can be made, but couldn't
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There's no such thing as a universally tunable laser, or even an universal spectrometer, although it's easier to come close with the detection side of things...
Anyhow, the big problem is the laser. If you want an "universal surface sensor" you might want a laser that tunes from 500 micrometers to 200 nm. Fat chance. It's really annoying how these university press releases overhype the technology. You could use this technology to make a nice sensor that targets a specific set of molecules with well-defined s
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What kind of receptors? (Score:2)
You have to chemically engineer receptors. That's also very non-trivial.
What kinds of receptors are needed for these kinds of devices? TFA describes possibilities for "small and portable" devices, which would be nice for field testing work, if the cost is low. I'm assuming small and portable equate with 'low-cost' which may be a bad assumption.
News articles about the melamine problem in China say there's not routine testing for melamine because it's expensive, so cheap generic sensors would be a great adv
Let's invent our own amazing devices! (Score:5, Funny)
I'll start.
It's called a transporter, it dematerializes and re-materializes anything placed on a raised platform. I have built the platform, all that needs to be done now is to figure out how to de/re-materialize objects.
I've also invented a portable fusion reactor. The concept is that I can fuse everyday objects - garbage - to make unlimited energy. I've got a bunch of garbage, all that needs to be done is figure out how to fuse at room temperatures.
Ok, now you guys come up with amazing inventions. You know, just like the guy in the article did.
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The problem here isn't strictly a hardware limitation, its mainly a problem interpretting the data. Get a few of these built and test a couple of pure samples, use these readings to create your database. Increasing in complexity as you go.
The light analyzing sensor would be the biggest hardware limitation I see. I don't imagine current spectroscopy technology will suffice (I could be wrong, God knows its happened before). The real trick will be in differentiating the
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You're a little off the mark. The problem here isn't strictly a hardware limitation,
Neither was his teleporter idea... He has a way to take pictures of the items you want to teleport, you just have to figure out how to use the pictures on the other end of it (ie, assemble the "data" in the pictures). All that's needed is something that can generate atoms in the order specified by the data in the pictures!
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Sounds like a GREAT business plan! If you can just call them eFusion and eTeleport I can guarantee massive VC funding!
(iFusion and iTeleport also work)
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(iFusion and iTeleport also work)
... but may result in a trademark infringement case from Apple
Too much work. (Score:2)
Just file the patent, wait for someone else to get it working, then sue them.
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Sounds like they should visit Google! (Score:1)
After all, Google scans lots of books for posterity and what not. Considering that something like only FOUR IPOs happened this year, relative to some SIXTY in some of the previous years, getting investor money is hard these days.
BUT, if Google wants to enhance or add to their "image", they can fund the hiring of scanning employees, the purchase of optical sensors and databases, and then maybe ask the DOD or some university labs for samples of any and all non-military specimens that would be scanned for for
Detect explosives ... (Score:2)
... by putting a piece of material with nanoscopic holes in it directly on the explosive and zapping it with a laser strongly enough for it to emit light?
I'd expect there to be no problem detecting explosives that way - except for having any explosive left after you detect it. B-(
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The Moon Rulez! (Score:2)
Its kinda like how bomb squads blow suspicious devices up to check if they are explosives.
2007-1-31: Never Forget...
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Could be useful even when limited (Score:5, Insightful)
must read the fine patent (Score:2)
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"It does seem humorous that the scientist claimed he built a multi-surface detector which actually doesn't detect anything in particular...."
It is the same as when they discovery spectroscopy. They knew they could detect elements and componds but they knew they'd have to first build up some experiance with the technique. Same here
Awesome headline (Score:5, Funny)
A Universal Surface Scanner Detected? Did it show up on radar suddenly or something?
Radar Operator: Chief, we have detected something on radar!
Chief: What is it?
Radar Operator: It appears to be some sort of Universal Surface Scanner.....
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Hah! And they laughed when I built that specialized surface scanner to detect the surface of universal surface scanners!
- RG>
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I do not have a +1 funny point or I would give it to you. Well done.
Scanner Detected? (Score:5, Funny)
I wasn't aware that a universal surface scanner existed, nor that there was a detector built to detect universal surface scanners. Now that I know that such a detector exists, and that it has detected a universal surface scanner, I am wondering: was there some sort of SETI-like project - a vast array of detectors just searching for signs of a universal surface scanner? I don't recall anything like this coming up on Slashdot before. How do we know that the detectors haven't registered a false positive. Maybe this isn't a universal surface scanner, but merely a universal surface sensor. Maybe it isn't a universal surface scanner, but one of those surface scanners that can scan the surface of most things, but has problems when it comes to surfaces that are shiney.
Where is this universal surface scanner? Is it something that we can duplicate, now that we know it exists? Is it something that we can retrieve from wherever it is and start scanning surfaces?
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I was wondering about this as well.
Why would we bother building a Scanner to detect a Universal Surface Scanner?
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All you need to find one is a Universal Surface Scanner, and you're away.
There is a Special Place in Hell .... (Score:5, Funny)
From the summary - "All that needs to be done now is build a system able to decode the light signatures.""
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While I appreciate the joke you've made, it's important to keep in mind - this system seems to have taken a very difficult and tedious chemistry/physics problem and relegated it to the slightly less difficult and tedious realm of signal processing.
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Well done, sir (ma'am?)
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"All that needs to be done now is build a system able to decode the light signatures."
Don't astrophysicists already do that to determine the composition of stars, planets, comets, and such?
All that needs to be done... (Score:4, Insightful)
Move along, there's nothing to see here yet.
Great! (Score:1)
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this deserves a "virtual Nobel prize" (Score:2)
Have they've been reading MicroSoft's playbook or something?
The Blind Leading The Lame (Score:2)
Note that the submitter merely quotes the article. The submitter may not be able to evaluate the article properly. The source, New Scientist, should know better. They've either knowingly passed along crap out of sheer laziness, or the they assigned it to someone completely unable to spot the fatal flaws in the press release that serves as their sole source.
"All that needs to be done now is build a system able to decode the light signatures."
If there is as yet no decoder, there is no evidence the device does
Good for one thing: (Score:2)
Nothing very special or universal about this! (Score:1, Interesting)
Surface Plasmon based sensing has been around for a long long time. From what I've read, it doesn't seem that this method/technique is anything revolutionary, nor is it ever going to magically determine what bacteria/explosives are on a surface. As someone mentioned in a previous post, you need to chemically engineer probe molecules for any bio-target that you are trying to specifically detect. All the device is going to tell you is that you have some shift in frequency due to some sort of binding/contamina
Beam Me Up! (Score:2, Funny)
C O E E H E S EE - Not anagramable. (Score:2)
My project will involve searching for alternative nomenclature for these categories, and generating a taxonomic vocabulary that may be searched and combined using genetic algorithms to synergistically coalesce a hyperbolic trans-categorical acronym. This as-yet-undiscovered acronym will be marketed via extensive cross-licensing and open-source profit redirection to instill a public sens
Tricorder (Score:1)
Great - just let me know when I can pick up the finished tricorder product
Thanks
Perforated plate? (Score:1)
How do they clean the thing after using it?
Yes, that's a serious question.
AH Hahahahahah.... (Score:2)
All I need now is the examining part!
AH Hahahahahah...
I'm going to be frigging RICH!
AH Hahahahahah...
Macguyver (Score:1)
Macguyver already did this with an old coke can, a pin and a flashlight!