The sensor uses a highly conductive gel sandwiched between layers of silicone that can detect different types of touch

Unlike expensive explosive-detecting puffer machines in airports that rely on complicated mass spectrometry or high-performance liquid chromatography equipment, these liquid crystal sensors could be portable, wearable, and inexpensive.

A collaboration of nanoengineers and electrical and computing engineers at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla combined their expertise to create the small device

The project broke ground in May and is expected to be completed in mid-2017

The monitor works quickly and can send results wirelessly to a smartphone or other device

The researchers developed a hybrid nanosensor incorporating magnetic resonance and fluorescence

The fluorescent sensor, derived from citric acid molecules, is highly sensitive and highly selective for chloride, the key diagnostic marker in cystic fibrosis

While police are trying out potential tools, no device currently on the market has been shown to quickly provide a precise measurement of a driver's marijuana intoxication as effectively as a breathalyzer gauges alcohol intoxication

Texas Tech University researchers demonstrate hexagonal boron nitride semiconductors as a cost-effective alternative for inspecting overseas cargo containers entering US ports

Intelligent packaging is already used on some medicines and food products, but it will become more widespread in the next few years