Google Glass to help remotely monitor human organ models

BOSTON: Scientists have developed a system that allows them to use Google Glass to remotely monitor and control experiments on tiny models of human organs in their labs.

According to the researchers, including those from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in US, the system may be useful for scientists running risky experiments, such as those involving highly infectious bacteria or radioactive materials, by allowing them to keep a safe distance.

The integral set of hardware, firmware, software and Glassware developed by the researchers enabled wireless transmission of sensor data onto the Google Glass for on-demand data visualization and real-time analysis.

Additionally, the platform allowed the user to control outputs entered through the Glass, therefore achieving bi-directional Glass-device interfacing.

Organs on chips offer a way to experiment on tiny models of human organs, but they require near-constant monitoring, researchers wrote in the journal Scientific Reports.


The new software and hardware allows scientists to go about their days while the high-tech glasses kept watch on their experiments.

They were even able to control livers and hearts on a chip remotely, dosing out pharmaceutical compounds by using valves controlled by Glass.

"Using this versatile platform, we demonstrated its capability in monitoring physical and physiological parameters such as temperature, pH, and morphology of liver- and heart-on-chips," the researchers said.

"Furthermore, we showed the capability to remotely introduce pharmaceutical compounds into a microfluidic human primary liver bioreactor at desired time points while monitoring their effects through the Glass," they said.