Gang Logan Liu , an assistant professor in electrrical and
computer engineering (ECE), and his research team have developed MoboSens, a
low-cost, smartphone-based sensor that allows users to test water quality by
detecting nitrate concentration.
MoboSens, a three-component tool that incorporates a
nanoelectronic sensor, smartphone, and cloud software technology, will expand
to measure nitrate, heavy metal, carcinogen, and bacteria in water. The
nanotechnology-enabled platform encourages everyone to become “citizen
scientists,” using the smartphone-compatible sensor to collect, post, and share
data regarding stream water quality and drinking water safety on social media
platforms, adding to the collective knowledge of an area’s water quality.