Tech Talk S02 E08: Samsung’s Non-invasive Glucose Testing, Cyborg Jellyfish, Tracking Student’s Attendance with Apps

Hey Tech Fans. No, we didn’t forget about you – our apologies for running late with this weeks’ episode. But wait until you hear what Samsung just created – and it’s not your typical electronics. Also, you may soon see a Cyborg Jellyfish racing around the ocean. We’ve got the scoop on this and more on LA NPDT Tech Talk where we bring you the latest in science and technology and keep you tuned in the newest gadgets and product innovations across the globe. And, if you like our podcast, please take a minute afterward to review us on your favorite platform. Now, let’s get to today’s news.

Non-Invasive Glucose Testing on the Horizon

The company we know and love as a TV and phone company has now come up with a way to monitor glucose levels, without having to prick your finger. Samsung just announced that by using a technique called “Raman Spectroscopy,” a system has been created that can use lasers for chemical composition identification.

Samsung’s Advanced Institute of Technology, Samsung Electronics, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology partnered together on this project. When adjusting the system, the team was able to observe glucose Raman peaks, and the group “demonstrated one of the highest prediction accuracies among non-invasive technologies,” according to Samsung.

The team believes that this technology may be able to help people with diabetes test their glucose with non-invasive measures. As of now, no specific product has been called out, but I expect we’ll see something coming down the pipe soon.

Good Idea? Bad Idea? You decide!

Colleges in the US have started testing a new way to track student attendance in class. Approximately 60 schools across the country are testing out apps as a way to take class attendance.

Students are asked to download an app onto their phones, and then attendance is taken by tracking where the student is during class time. Some of the apps use local Bluetooth, while others find a Wi-Fi signal to tell if the student is in a certain room. Students across campus are being asked to volunteer for the trials and only about 2% of the student population at these schools are involved – for now.

While it doesn’t sound too invasive at the moment, and students are not currently required to participate, it does leave us wondering what will happen in the future with student surveillance.

Cyborg Jellyfish

You heard that right. Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have created a cyborg jellyfish that swims up to three times faster than regular jellyfish.

By attaching a swim monitor that enhances a jellyfish’s natural pulsing motion, the scientists can use an electrical impulse to speed up the pulsing, moving the jellyfish faster. The swim monitor is a prosthetic that can be attached and removed without harming the jellyfish.

Attaching the swim monitor to the jellyfish does have a valid purpose – there are no jellyfish races coming anytime soon. Scientists believe the jellyfish may be able to carry sensors into the ocean, gathering data along the way.

Caltech engineer and research lead John Dabiri said: “If we can find a way to direct these jellyfish and also equip them with sensors to track things like ocean temperature, salinity, oxygen levels, and so on, we could create a truly global ocean network where each of the jellyfish robots costs a few dollars to instrument and feeds themselves energy from prey already in the ocean.”

Sounds like there could be some positives to the supersonic, cyborg jellyfish, even if we don’t have the jellyfish races :)

And that brings us to the end of today’s Tech Talk, brought to you by LA New Product Development Team. Stay tuned next week for more developments in the product world, as we keep digging through the maze of technology that floods the web.

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