# Sensing ## expand\_more #### ✨ Sensing Organisms across the tree of life have developed a variety of apparatuses and strategies to probe the environment around them. Each sense (vision, smell, touch, taste, etc) requires the transduction of an external stimulus into something that can be understood and processed by the brain to lead to a response such as a thought or behavior. For example, when the stimulus is a visual scene, photons from the scene are guided to photoreceptors. Upon absorbing the light energy, a molecule within the photoreceptor changes its shape (isomerises), ultimately opening up ion channels, thereby producing nerve impulses that are transmitted to the brain. Artificial sensors have much to learn from their biological counterparts, in terms of geometry, fluid mechanics, signal transduction and integration, and more. In our work, we aim to integrate these biological ideas to create new sensors for a variety of applications, from indoor air quality sensing to medical diagnoses. **Contacts**: Haritosh Patel, Jack Alvarenga, Anna Shneidman ## Projects [### VOLATILE SENSING ](/volatile-sensing) ![sensor](/sites/g/files/omnuum6296/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-01/Sniffia%20Device.png?h=d8753b95&itok=tbyqxdbl) [### WINK - WETTING IN COLOR KIT ](/wetting-color-w-ink) ![Wetting in color (W-Ink) 1](/sites/g/files/omnuum6296/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/aizenberg/files/w-ink_press_04.png?itok=8hjIq8_o) Publications In the News ## Publications Download 2 citations download- [BibTeX](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179271&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=bibtex) - [EndNote X3 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179271&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=endnote8) - [EndNote 7 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179271&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=endnote7) - [Endnote tagged](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179271&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=tagged) - [Marc](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179271&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=marc) - [PubMedId](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179271&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=pubmed_id) - [RIS](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179271&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=ris) ### 2023 Brandt S, Pavlichenko I, Shneidman A V, Patel H, Tripp A, Wong TSB, Lazaro S, Thompson E, Maltz A, Storwick T, et al. [Nonequilibrium sensing of volatile compounds using active and passive analyte delivery.](/publication/nonequilibrium-sensing-volatile-compounds-using-active-and-passive-analyte-delivery) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2023;120(31):e2303928120. doi:10.1073/pnas.2303928120 Brandt S, Pavlichenko I, Shneidman A V, Patel H, Tripp A, Wong TSB, Lazaro S, Thompson E, Maltz A, Storwick T, et al. [Nonequilibrium sensing of volatile compounds using active and passive analyte delivery.](/publication/nonequilibrium-sensing-volatile-compounds-using-active-and-passive-analyte-delivery) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2023;120(31):e2303928120. doi:10.1073/pnas.2303928120 - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Although sensor technologies have allowed us to outperform the human senses of sight, hearing, and touch, the development of artificial noses is significantly behind their biological counterparts. This largely stems from the sophistication of natural... ### 2022 Yao Y, Bennett RKA, Xu Y, Rather AM, Li S, Cheung TC, Bhanji A, Kreder MJ, Daniel D, Adera S, et al. [Wettability-based ultrasensitive detection of amphiphiles through directed concentration at disordered regions in self-assembled monolayers.](/publication/wettability-based-ultrasensitive-detection-amphiphiles-through-directed-concentration) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2022;119(43):e2211042119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2211042119 Yao Y, Bennett RKA, Xu Y, Rather AM, Li S, Cheung TC, Bhanji A, Kreder MJ, Daniel D, Adera S, et al. [Wettability-based ultrasensitive detection of amphiphiles through directed concentration at disordered regions in self-assembled monolayers.](/publication/wettability-based-ultrasensitive-detection-amphiphiles-through-directed-concentration) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2022;119(43):e2211042119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2211042119 - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Various forms of ecological monitoring and disease diagnosis rely upon the detection of amphiphiles, including lipids, lipopolysaccharides, and lipoproteins, at ultralow concentrations in small droplets. Although assays based on droplets' wettability... ## In the News [### Project Air launched! ](/news/2025/01/project-air-launched) January 13, 2025 We're excited to be testing our Sensory Nature-Inspired Fact Finder of Indoor Air (SNIFFIA) at Harvard's Center for Green Buildings, in collaboration with UNC and the Wyss Institute. Read more about it at HarvardCGBC and the Wyss Institute. ![HZ_team](/sites/g/files/omnuum6296/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-01/IMG_2876%20%282%29_0.jpg?itok=jm5iBFHq)