Developing new digital technology for a healthy and sustainable world is the aim of OnePlanet, the multidisciplinary collaboration between Wageningen University & Research, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), and Imec, a leading Belgian research center.
Sensor technology is one of the focal points. Since 1 January 2024, Richard van Wezel has been the Director of Health at the OnePlanet Research Center. He also works as a professor of Neuroscience at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, part of Radboud University Nijmegen.
Stimulating business activity
"OnePlanet was established five years ago with support from the Province of Gelderland to stimulate business activity and innovation. The beauty of this collaboration is that we develop things that we actually bring to market. With every idea we want to develop, we ask ourselves if there is a market for it: are people or companies willing to pay for it?" says Van Wezel.
"This is a very different starting point for university researchers compared to the research academics usually engage in."
Gut flora
A pill equipped with an ingestible sensor that measures and records the temperature in your stomach and intestines, among other things, and tracks how long food stays in your intestines, has already been tested on healthy volunteers. Work is still ongoing on a pill that can take a sample from your stomach or intestines for analysis, with the first human studies expected in 2025.
"These are important developments for better treating patients with chronic diseases such as Crohn's disease. But for other diseases, like Parkinson's, the gut flora plays an important role that affects your health. A sensor helps in diagnosing and in the optimisation and further development of medication."
Nitrogen sensor
Van Wezel also talks about the intensive work on new sensors for the food industry and agriculture.
"In our society, there is a significant shortage of labor in healthcare and agriculture. With our products, we try to find solutions for this. For example, we have developed a nitrogen sensor to perform measurements around a farm, and a laser technique to measure the ripeness of fruits in the orchard so you know when they can be picked. Another example is mapping an orchard in 3D, so you can indicate in advance to workers or a robot which branches need to be pruned. This saves time and labor and increases production."
One project
Not only is a lot of time and energy spent on developing the sensor, but careful handling of all collected data and ensuring privacy also require attention.
"Within OnePlanet, we work together with about a hundred employees. There are colleagues who deal with market research and business development, but also those who work on legislation, safety, and electronics. This means that together, we can conceive a product within a few years and actually bring it to market. That really is unique."
This testimonial previously appeared on TechGelderland.nl
Photo: Raphael Drent