Approximately 2 cm in length, this chip makes it possible to precisely analyse the infrared spectrum. (Photograph: ETH Zurich / Pascal A. Halder)
ETH researchers have developed a compact infrared spectrometer. It's small enough to fit on a computer chip but can still open up interesting possibilities - in space and in everyday life. Nowadays, a mobile phone can do almost anything: take photos or video, send messages, determine its present location, and of course transmit telephone conversations. With these versatile devices, it might even be possible to ascertain a beer's alcohol content or how ripe a piece of fruit is. At first glance, the idea of using mobile phones for chemical analyses seems a daring one. After all, the infrared spectrometers used for such analyses today generally weigh several kilograms and are difficult to integrate into a handheld device. Now researchers at ETH Zurich have taken an important step towards turning this vision into reality.
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