IIT Guwahati develops 'E-Eye' for rapid detection of Cancer-causing heavy metals and other toxicants
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati researchers have developed an optical sensing device that can instantly detect a variety of toxicants in water and other biological samples.
Guwahati: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati researchers have engineered an optical sensing device, dubbed E-Eye, capable of instantly detecting various toxicants in water and biological samples. This innovation aligns with the Government of India's Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims to deliver safe drinking water to every household. The device's portable, point-of-care design addresses challenges in maintaining water quality due to diverse water sources potentially harboring heavy metals and disease-causing bacteria.
E-Eye operates as an electronic eye, identifying multiple toxicants on-site while preserving accuracy and transmitting data wirelessly to treatment facilities. The findings, co-authored by Prof Tapas K Mandal and Prof Harshal B Nemade and their team, were published in the prestigious IEEE Sensors Journal. The device functions through a chemical reaction generating a colored compound, whose intensity indicates the concentration of toxicants.
Optical principles analyze the water, converting the sensor's output into digital data and displaying the toxicant concentration.
Compared to conventional, costly laboratory instruments, E-Eye is suitable for direct field deployment, enabling water source analysis. Laboratory tests revealed E-Eye's results matched those of standard UV-Visible and Atomic Absorption spectrophotometers (AAS), with advanced digital integration. Prof Mandal highlighted the device's ability to detect arsenic, lead, iron, chromium, fluoride, and Escherichia coli bacteria.
Costing around Rs 3,500 with a per-sample testing cost of Rs 2, production costs can be further reduced through industrial manufacturing.
Beyond water quality monitoring, E-Eye can analyze toxicants in various environmental, biological, and food samples, including vegetables, food products, tea, herbal products, soil, and milk. The research team tested over 2700 samples, recording accurate results. Prof Nemade emphasized E-Eye's potential applications across government agencies, industries, and private enterprises, supporting water quality monitoring, food and herbal product manufacturers, and industries managing liquid effluents.
Backed by a Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) research grant, the team formed ENVIONIX Labs Pvt Ltd to commercialize the technology. Future plans include integrating solar panels for self-sustaining operation and cloud connectivity for remote monitoring and data management.
Written by urgent.news from ETHealthworld's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
