Jacob Martin tours an alien autopsy tent during the opening night of a festival celebrating the supposed visit of aliens to the Kelly-Hopkinsville area in 1955, in Kelly, Kentucky August 16, 2013.
Jacob Martin tours an alien autopsy tent during the opening night of a festival celebrating the supposed visit of aliens to the Kelly-Hopkinsville area in 1955, in Kelly, Kentucky August 16, 2013. REUTERS/Harrison McClary

Life on Mars and other planets have been a century old topic of discussion. The existence of alien life or extraterrestrial beings is one of the biggest burning questions to date, even after extensive research being conducted by scientists on the topic. However, with the latest invention of a first motion detector by European researchers from Switzerland and Belgium, we may have come one step closer to finding the answers.

In a public release published on EurekAlert, it was announced that Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne or EPFL scientists have devised a motion detector that has the potential of sensing and monitoring movement and thus detecting alien life during future space missions. It is said to be an "extremely sensitive yet simple" devise that can be constructed easily with the help of "already-existent technology."

The details of the equipment can be found in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Apparently, the devise was able to accurately detect "bacteria, yeast and even cancer cells." It is reported that it is now being considered capable for detection of extraterrestrial or alien life.

The EPFL researchers involved in the development of the system are Giovanni Dietler, Sandor Kasas and Giovanni Longo. Their life detector uses a "nano-sized cantilever to detect motion" of microscopic life forms. The design is inspired by existing technology of the atomic force microscope. As noted in the press release, the cantilever rakes the surface to detect the movement. "That motion also moves the much smaller and sensitive cantilever and it is captured by the readout laser as series of vibrations. "The signal is taken as a sign of life," reads the explanation on the press release.

The EPFL researchers tested the system using bacteria, yeast, mouse and human cells. They went as far as testing soil in the nearby fields of EPFL campus and water from the Sorge River. Their system accurately picked up signs of life from the living cells by "isolating vibration signatures."

"The system has the benefit of being completely chemistry-free," says Dietler. "That means that it can be used anywhere - in drug testing or even in the search for extraterrestrial life," he added. As revealed by Dietler, the researchers are now trying to approach ESA and NASA.

Daily Mail notes Ariel Anbar, a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the department of chemistry and biochemistry at Arizona State University, said that, "if it is as technologically simple to implement as the authors claim, then it could be worth integrating into future mission concepts." He called the work of European scientists "refreshing" and "fundamentally new ideas."

For questions/comments regarding the article you may e-mail the writer at j.kaur@IBTimes.com.au.