We are not new to the scenario of ever increasing costs of
medical exams but then what about under-privileged people? How
can they go about tests and quality procedures? Let us take a
look at oPAD, a paper sensor that has been touted to determine
complex tests easily but more importantly affordably, so much so
that the poor countries can manufacture it themselves and
implement it. The oPAD or the Paper Analytical Devices developed
by scientists from University of Texas at Austin is a three
dimensional paper sensor capable of detecting the presence of a
particular entity from fluid samples of patient without the
involvement of time consuming procedures and complex equipments.
The paper sensors are manufactured with the help of a technique
called photolithography and when required for tests needs to be
simply hand-folded [like in origami] to a desired arrangement.
Changes in color concludes positivity or negativity of the
tests. Although previously the paper sensors were available but
their manufacturing was co