Organism Detector - Feasibility?

Thread Starter

VideoPac

Joined Jun 1, 2017
3
Hello,

I want to study the feasibility of an electronic device that detect very reliably into organic mater (earth, leaves, vegetables, etc...) the presence of living OR dead organisms like insects, larvas, worms, etc...

For example, we could pass through the detector a plate containing earth and the device will display a red light if the earth is free of organism or green if there are some organisms living or dead.

Does someone knows if it can be done? How? Am I at the right place to ask? :)

Any suggestion, suggested ressource or help with regard on how to prototype and produce such a device is very welcome.

Thank you!
 

Sensacell

Joined Jun 19, 2012
3,432
Not possible without a major breakthrough.

If you can create this device, you will be rich beyond your wildest dreams.
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
First time I read this, I thought I saw "orgasm detector." That would probably be easier to make actually.

I don't know what principle you would have to lean on to make an in-general organism detector. You can detect certain organisms individually, based on tells of that organism and that organism only. For example you can detect termites with a sensitive microphone because their chewing is (relatively) loud. You can detect certain organisms from co2 release. You can detect some organisms from smells the produce.

As far as I know, you need to decide beforehand what organism you want to detect, and then come up with a way to exploit a tell specific to that organism. I doubt there is a way to detect any/all organism with the same device.
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
Doesn't the US Space Program have something like this? Don't they use it on our space probes to determine if there is/was life on another planet?
 

Thread Starter

VideoPac

Joined Jun 1, 2017
3
:confused: OK, I get it, it seems pretty difficult to do.
@strantor: prehaps something based on temperature. I guess that all living things release some kind of heat... With thermic sensors, shouldn't we be able to detect living organism (not or orgasm) ?
 

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,345
You might be able to get close to your requirement by measuring carbon dioxide levels. If you put your sample in a closed vessel and anything in there is metabolising then most things release CO2 so the concentration of that gas would increase and so measuring that would give you some sort of indication.
 

Alec_t

Joined Sep 17, 2013
14,280
The only characteristic I can think of that distinguishes an inanimate object from an animate one is that only the latter has the ability to reproduce. So if you detect some 'things' in your sample and wait long enough, there should be an increase in the number of 'things' if life is present.
 

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
Life grows many complex molecules and structures. We have just recently realized how faint most of life is. It is estimated that at least half of the biosphere is smaller than bacteria. And they are still arguing about the definition.

Every particle has a harmonic EM field song. Every atom has a song....every molecule has a song and every object has a song.

These songs are like fingerprints and can be cataloged.

With the right music box.......we could tricorder anything.
 

marcf

Joined Dec 29, 2014
288
I think that living things have the ability to reverse the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (until they die), and non living things do not.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
I believe there is a fluorescent spray test that can visualize ATP under UV light. Finding ATP is a good indication that there may be life present. Of course leaves may be alive, as will be all the microbes in your sample. Can you be more specific about which kinds of organisms you want to detect? Would a human eye be capable of doing the job, maybe by detecting movement?
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
No, I meant NASA. It was announced back in 2014 that the Mars Rover was being outfitted with life detection systems. And the current rover under test has enhanced systems for detecting life.

Look at this article.
The Jet Propulsion Lab has (had) a program to do this. I haven't been in contact with a team member in more than 10 years but, it was a project for them.
 
Top