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| EU project NEMSIC targets better sensor detection technology |
July 2008 - Europeans have made huge strides in biosensing and environmental research over the years, but a group of scientists is taking things even further. Through the EU-backed, three-year NEMSIC (Nano-electro-mechanical-system-integrated-circuits) project, these scientists aim to get the world's smallest, high-performance and low-power sensor in silicon off the ground. This latest development, they say, will be applied in biosensing and environmental monitoring.
Professor Hiroshi Mizuta from the University of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS), which is participating in the project, says NEMSIC targets the development and launch of the smallest sensor on the international market. Interesting is the fact that not only will the sensor be very sensitive, but it will consume little power, the research team says. Its successful launch will be made possible through the co-integration of single-electron transistors (SETs) and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) on a common silicon technology platform.
The research team will develop the sensing devices to the nanoscale to ensure their success, particularly in being 'able to detect either single-charge transfer and/or change in masses caused by a small amount of chemical and biological molecules electrically', Professor Mizuta says. An innovative electron beam lithography machine, located at the ECS Mountbatten building at the University of Southampton, will be used to produce these devices.
The NEMSIC consortium is composed of researchers from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Professor Adrian Ionescu of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland is coordinating the project.
NEMSIC is funded under the 'Information and communication technologies' thematic area of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
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| FCC Petition for Body Sensor Networks Frequencies |
On April 24, 2008 the FCC released a public notice entitled:
In the document, the FCC commented:
"Responding to the call for comments in the NOI, GEHC [GE Healthcare] proposes the allocation of spectrum on a secondary basis in the 2360-2400 MHz band and for the adoption of service rules under Part 95 for the operation of wireless medical ‘body sensor networks’ - or BSNs. ... Wireless BSN sensors would be used to replace the present generation of physiological body sensors (often used with patients in hospitals, for example) that rely upon wired cables connected to bedside monitoring equipment. GEHC states that a key benefit of eliminating the wired link with wireless BSN technology would be to reduce the chances of body sensors becoming unintentionally disconnected, thereby enhancing the safety, quality and mobility of patient care."
The summary of the proposal and the notice was presented at the May meeting of the 802.15.6 Body Area Network standard group.
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| Wireless EEG system self-powered by body heat and light |
April 2008 - In the framework of Holst Centre, IMEC has developed a battery-free wireless 2-channel EEG system powered by a hybrid power supply using body heat and ambient light. The hybrid power supply combines a thermoelectric generator that uses the heat dissipated from a person’s temples and silicon photovoltaic cells. The entire system is wearable and integrated into a device resembling headphones. The system can provide more than 1mW on average indoor, which is more than enough for the targeted application.
Thermoelectric generators using body heat typically show a drop in generated power when the ambient temperature is in range of the body temperature. Especially outside, the photovoltaic cells in the hybrid system counter this energy drop and ensure a continuous power generation. Moreover, they serve as part of the radiators for the thermoelectric generator, which are required to obtain high efficiency.
Compared to a previous EEG demonstrator developed within Holst Centre, which was solely powered by thermoelectric generators positioned on the forehead, the hybrid system has a reduced size and weight. Combined with full autonomous operation, no maintenance and an acceptable low heat flow from the head, it further increases the patient’s autonomy and quality of life. Potential applications are detection of imbalance between the two halves of the brain, detection of certain kinds of brain trauma and monitoring of brain activity. 
The system is a tangible demonstrator of Holst Centre’s Human++ program researching healthcare, lifestyle and sport applications of body area networks. Future research targets further reduction of the power consumption of the different system components of the body area network as well as a significant reduction of the production cost by using micromachining. Interested parties can get more insight in this research or license the underlying technologies through membership of the program.
Technical details
The thermoelectric generator is composed of six thermoelectric units made up from miniature commercial thermopiles. Each of the two radiators, on left and right sides of the head, has an external area of 4×8cm² that is made of high-efficiency Si photovoltaic cells. Further, thermally conductive comb-type structures (so-called thermal shunts) have been used to eliminate the thermal barrier between the skin and the thermopiles that is caused by the person’s hair on the thermoelectric generator.
The EEG system uses IMEC’s proprietary ultra-low-power biopotential readout application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to extract high-quality EEG signals with micro-power consumption. A low-power digital-signal processing block encodes the extracted EEG data, which are sent to a PC via a 2.4GHz wireless radio link. The whole system consumes only 0.8mW, well below the power produced to provide full autonomy.
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| Ambient Corporation demonstrates silent phone communication using TI ultra- low power MSP430 MCU technology |
February 26, 2008 - Ambient Corporation today gave the first live demonstration of how its new technology, the Audeo, will enable voiceless communication either face-to-face or via phone. The Audeo, based on ultra-low power MSP430 microcontroller (MCU) technology from Texas Instruments Incorporated , will offer life-changing options for people who have lost the ability to move or speak due to neurological disorders, Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy or Parkinson's. To see a video of this technology in action, please visit http://www.ti.com/tidc08multimedia.
"The Audeo can enable voiceless communication that is virtually as easy as just thinking about it," said Michael Callahan, CEO and co-founder of Ambient Corporation. "Historically, every time it becomes easier for people to communicate, people become more connected and the interactions enrich people's lives. It is our hope that the Audeo will allow many more profound ideas to change the world through communication."
The Audeo is a wireless sensor worn on the neck to capture neurological activity that the brain sends to the vocal cords, and then digitizes this activity using analog and digital technology to turn it into speech. Thanks to the extremely low power consumption of TI's MSP430 MCUs, the Audeo can last over eight hours on a single charge, giving people the ability to interact with their world knowing they will be able to communicate.
During a keynote presentation at the Texas Instruments Developer Conference (TIDC), Ambient's Callahan demonstrated this technology by using the Audeo to place the world's first, voiceless cellphone call to Mike Hames, TI's Senior Vice President of Application Specific Products (ASP). The Audeo takes information gathered from the sensor worn on the neck and sends this information to a mobile phone using Bluetooth(R) wireless technology
"Ambient is at the forefront of innovative technology that will enable people to communicate in entirely new ways," said Hames. "Whether helping give the gift of communication to someone who has lost the ability to speak, or allowing consumers to communicate voicelessly via cellphone in environments not conducive to conversation, TI is committed to helping customers like Ambient who are solving problems that change the world."
In addition to this innovative speech technology, by incorporating the Audeo with additional hardware, Ambient has successfully controlled a wheelchair without the need of physical movement. Ambient expects that its first product to enable speech for individuals with ALS will be available before the end of 2008. For more information, please visit http://www.theaudeo.com.
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| Nokia and Cambridge University launch the Morph - a nanotechnology concept device |
February 25, 2008 - Morph, a joint nanotechnology concept, developed by Nokia Research Center and the University of Cambridge (UK) - was launched today alongside the "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition, on view from February 24 to May 12, 2008, at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Morph features in both the exhibition catalog and on MoMA's official website.
Morph is a concept that demonstrates how future mobile devices might be stretchable and flexible, allowing the user to transform their mobile device into radically different shapes. It demonstrates the ultimate functionality that nanotechnology might be capable of delivering: flexible materials, transparent electronics and self-cleaning surfaces. Dr. Bob Iannucci, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia, commented: "Nokia Research Center is looking at ways to reinvent the form and function of mobile devices; the Morph concept shows what might be possible."
Dr. Tapani Ryhanen, Head of the NRC Cambridge UK laboratory, Nokia, commented: "We hope that this combination of art and science will showcase the potential of nanoscience to a wider audience. The research we are carrying out is fundamental to this as we seek a safe and controlled way to develop and use new materials."
Professor Mark Welland, Head of the Department of Engineering's Nanoscience Group at the University of Cambridge and University Director of Nokia-Cambridge collaboration added: "Developing the Morph concept with Nokia has provided us with a focus that is both artistically inspirational but, more importantly, sets the technology agenda for our joint nanoscience research that will stimulate our future work together."
The partnership between Nokia and the University of Cambridge was announced in March, 2007 - an agreement to work together on an extensive and long term programme of joint research projects. NRC has established a research facility at the University's West Cambridge site and collaborates with several departments - initially the Nanoscience Center and Electrical Division of the Engineering Department - on projects that, to begin with, are centered on nanotechnology.
Elements of Morph might be available to integrate into handheld devices within 7 years, though initially only at the high-end. However, nanotechnology may one day lead to low cost manufacturing solutions, and offers the possibility of integrating complex functionality at a low price.
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| HeartCycle Project |
February 21, 2008 - Royal Philips Electronics today announced that it will lead a new
European Union (EU) funded research project aimed at improving care of
heart patients through the development of innovative telemonitoring
solutions. Following the highly successful MyHeart project, the
HeartCycle project will start on March 1, 2008, and will be one of the
largest biomedical and healthcare research projects within the EU.
The HeartCycle consortium will work to improve the quality of care
for coronary heart disease and heart failure patients by developing
systems for monitoring their condition at home and involving them in
the daily management of their disease. These systems will comprise
unobtrusive sensors built into the patient's clothing or bed sheets and
home appliances such as weight scales and blood pressure monitors.
The
consortium aims to develop dedicated software that analyzes the
acquired data, and that can be programmed to provide feedback on the
patient's health status, plus his or her adherence to prescribed
therapies and progress towards achieving health status milestones. It
also aims to develop mechanisms to report relevant data back to
clinicians automatically so that they can prescribe personalized
therapies and lifestyle recommendations.
Public and private partners from 18 research, academic, industrial and
medical organizations from nine different European countries and China
will team up in the project. HeartCycle will run for four years and has
a budget of approximately EUR 21 million, of which approximately EUR 14
million will be funded by the European Union as part of the EU 7th
Framework Program.
HeartCycle Consortium membership (in alphabetical order)
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece); Clothing Plus Oy
(Finland); CSEM Centre Suisse D'electronique Et De Microtechnique Sa
(Switzerland); Empirica Gesellschaft für Kommunikations und
Technologieforschung mbH (Germany); Faculdade Ciencias e Tecnologia da
Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal); Fundación Vodafone España (Spain);
Hospital Universitario Clínico San Carlos (Spain); Instituto de
Aplicaciones de las Tecnologías de la Información y de las
Comunicaciones Avanzadas (Spain); Medtronic Ibérica SA (Spain); Philips
Electronics Nederland B.V. (The Netherlands); Philips Research
(Germany); Politecnico Di Milano - Dipartimento di Bioingegneria
(Italy); Rheinisch Westfälische Technische Hochschule (Germany);
T-Systems ITC Iberia SA (Spain); Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
(Spain); Chinese University of Hong Kong (China); University of Hull
(United Kingdom); Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskeskus (Finland).
More information on the HeartCycle project:
healthcare/homehc/heartcycle/heartcycle-gen.html
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| Breakthrough technology makes charging batteries a walk in the park |
Simon Fraser University researchers have developed a new wearable technology that generates electricity from the natural motion of walking and promises to revolutionize the way we charge portable battery-powered devices.
The Biomechanical Energy Harvester, which will be featured in the Feb. 8, 2008 issue of the U.S. journal, Science, resembles a lightweight orthopedic knee brace. The device harvests energy from the end of a walker’s step, when the muscles are working to slow the movement of the leg, in much the same way that hybrid-electric cars recycle power from braking. Wearing a device on each leg, an individual can generate up to five watts of electricity with little additional physical effort. Walking more quickly generates as much as 13 watts of electricity: at that rate, one minute of walking provides enough electricity to sustain 30 minutes of talk time on a mobile phone.
“This technology promises to have significant medical, military and consumer applications,” says lead author Max Donelan, an assistant professor of kinesiology and associate member of engineering science at SFU. “A fully charged battery pack represents more than just a mere convenience. It allows a soldier to get back home safely.
 It benefits stroke victims, amputees and others who rely on power-assisted medical devices for mobility. It means a better quality of life for the developing world, where a half-billion children live without easy access to electricity. And of course it is a necessity to anyone in the developed world who has come to rely on portable electronics for work or play.”
Donelan plans to have a working prototype available within 18 months through his spin-off company, Bionic Power Inc.
How it works, why it’s different
The Biomechanical Energy Harvester is rigged with a generator, clutch, gears and a real-time control system to selectively engage and disengage power generation. It works in much the same way that regenerative brakes charge batteries in hybrid vehicles. Regenerative brakes collect the kinetic energy that would otherwise be dissipated as heat when the car slows down. Similarly, the Harvester collects the energy typically lost when the muscles of the body slow the knee after swinging the leg forward to take a step.
The new device significantly differs from existing energy-harvesting technologies. Those devices focus on either the compression of the heel or the shifting of a mass carried on the back, but shoe generators deliver only small amounts of energy, and the backpack method requires a heavy load. The Harvester also includes a number of built-in mechanical and electrical innovations that condition the raw power generated by walking, and adjust each stride to extract the maximum amount of power with the minimum amount of effort.
Donelan’s research team is supported by funding from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.
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| Wireless bioDevices - SensaPill |
SensaPill is a pill device containing a biosensor, electronics and a wireless transmitter. Once swallowed, the capsule is able to detect conditions inside the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract as it travels through, transmitting the real time measurements to a small external module attached to the body, before being excreted and discarded. The biosensor detects any bleeding inside the GI tract, which can be associated with a range of diseases, including ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and cancer. By locating the source of bleeding, SensaPill is able to distinguish between these different conditions and, in particular, to detect the early signs of bowel cancer.
SensaPill overcomes two of the major problems with testing for bowel cancer. It does not require sample collection so is easy to use, making it more acceptable to patients. And by detecting any bleeding at source the device is highly sensitive. 
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