Innovative tech harnesses cyborg mollusks to detect water pollution.

Scientists have developed a commercial water-quality monitoring system, molluSCAN-eye, which uses live, electronically enhanced mollusks to detect pollution. Filter-feeding mollusks like oysters and mussels naturally respond to pollutants by altering how they open their shells, making them ideal sensors.

Each molluSCAN-eye unit houses 16 mollusks in a cage submerged at monitoring sites such as ports, sewage outlets, or oil platforms. Electromagnets attached to the mollusks’ shells measure shell movements during feeding, capturing data on opening width, speed, and frequency. These metrics reflect biological rhythms and responses to pollutants.

Advanced HFNI Technology for Real-Time, Cost-Effective Monitoring

The data is processed by a Linux-based microcomputer on-site and transmitted to a cloud server for real-time access via smartphones or tablets. This system’s High-Frequency Non-Invasive Valvometry (HFNI) technology is 10 to 100 times more sensitive and far cheaper than traditional water sensors, requiring minimal maintenance thanks to the mollusks’ self-cleaning behavior.

Currently, 90 units are operational worldwide. The latest version of molluSCAN-eye recently won a CES 2025 Innovation Award, highlighting its groundbreaking approach to pollution monitoring.

Read Original Article: New Atlas

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