Using miniaturized laser technology, a tiny sensor has been
built at the Vienna University of Technology which can test the chemical
composition of liquids.
They are invisible, but perfectly suited for analysing
liquids and gases; infrared laser beams are absorbed differently by different
molecules. This effect can for instance be used to measure the oxygen
concentration in blood. At the Vienna University of Technology, this technique
has now been miniaturized and implemented in the prototype for a new kind of
sensor.