Comments on: Dissolving electronics – medical sensors that disintegrate after a fixed time http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/09/27/dissolving-electronics-medical-sensors-that-disintegrate-after-a-fixed-time/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: vince http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/09/27/dissolving-electronics-medical-sensors-that-disintegrate-after-a-fixed-time/#comment-16025 vince Sat, 29 Sep 2012 10:35:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7705#comment-16025 prepare for repo man conspiracy theories. pay up or we let your artificial heart's control board expire prepare for repo man conspiracy theories. pay up or we let your artificial heart’s control board expire

]]> By: sedeer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/09/27/dissolving-electronics-medical-sensors-that-disintegrate-after-a-fixed-time/#comment-16024 sedeer Fri, 28 Sep 2012 10:31:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7705#comment-16024 @jenny -- thanks! I should have just thought of doing the calculation myself. I wonder if you misplaced a few zeros, though -- shouldn't the volume be 2*10⁻¹²cm³? @jenny — thanks! I should have just thought of doing the calculation myself. I wonder if you misplaced a few zeros, though — shouldn’t the volume be 2*10⁻¹²cm³?

]]> By: Jenny http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/09/27/dissolving-electronics-medical-sensors-that-disintegrate-after-a-fixed-time/#comment-16023 Jenny Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:29:08 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7705#comment-16023 @sedeer - I was curious about this too, so I did a quick calculation. The article says the circuits are 20 nm thick. If the total surface area of the metal in the circuit is on the order of 1 cm^2, then the volume of metal is 2*10^-6 cm^3. Magnesium (as an example) has a density of 1.74 g/cm^3, so the total mass of metal in that volume is only 0.003 mg. For comparison, my daily multivitamin has 50 mg of magnesium in it. So, I think the total amount of metal you'd absorb from these electronics is very low compared to what you're already taking in from other sources, made possible because the circuits are so thin. The distribution in the body (and possibly the chemical form) would certainly be different than if you just ingest it in in food or in a multivitamin pill, but the amount, at least, is very very small. @sedeer – I was curious about this too, so I did a quick calculation. The article says the circuits are 20 nm thick. If the total surface area of the metal in the circuit is on the order of 1 cm^2, then the volume of metal is 2*10^-6 cm^3. Magnesium (as an example) has a density of 1.74 g/cm^3, so the total mass of metal in that volume is only 0.003 mg.

For comparison, my daily multivitamin has 50 mg of magnesium in it. So, I think the total amount of metal you’d absorb from these electronics is very low compared to what you’re already taking in from other sources, made possible because the circuits are so thin. The distribution in the body (and possibly the chemical form) would certainly be different than if you just ingest it in in food or in a multivitamin pill, but the amount, at least, is very very small.

]]> By: sedeer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/09/27/dissolving-electronics-medical-sensors-that-disintegrate-after-a-fixed-time/#comment-16022 sedeer Thu, 27 Sep 2012 21:09:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7705#comment-16022 Sounds interesting and promising! I'm curious, though, if there was any discussion of what happens to the silicon, magnesium oxide, etc after the implants have dissolved? Is there a risk of accumulating potentially damaging levels of these compounds? Sounds interesting and promising! I’m curious, though, if there was any discussion of what happens to the silicon, magnesium oxide, etc after the implants have dissolved? Is there a risk of accumulating potentially damaging levels of these compounds?

]]> By: Old Geezer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/09/27/dissolving-electronics-medical-sensors-that-disintegrate-after-a-fixed-time/#comment-16021 Old Geezer Thu, 27 Sep 2012 20:00:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=7705#comment-16021 Planned obsolescence carried to the nth degree. Planned obsolescence carried to the nth degree.

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