night-vision goggles and smoke detectors to surveillance systems and satellites--that rely on electronic light sensors. Integrated into a digital camera lens, for example, it could reduce bulkiness and boost both the acquisition speed and quality of video or still photos.
The researchers also placed electrodes under the phototransistor's ultrathin silicon nanomembrane layer--and the metal layer and electrodes each act as reflectors
and improve light absorption without the need for an external amplifier.""There's a built-in capability to sense weak light,
#Super sensitive magnetic sensor created Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a new hybrid magnetic sensor that is more sensitive than most commercially available sensors.
This technological breakthrough hails opportunities for the development of smaller and cheaper sensors for various fields such as consumer electronics, information and communication technology, biotechnology and automotive.
High performance magnetic sensors in demand When an external magnetic field is applied to certain materials a change in electrical resistance, also known as magnetoresistance, occurs as the electrons are deflected.
The discovery of magnetoresistance paved the way for magnetic field sensors used in hard disk drives and other devices,
In the search for an ideal magnetoresistance sensor, researchers have prized the properties of high sensitivity to low and high magnetic fields, tunability,
The new hybrid sensor developed by the team led by Assoc Prof Yang, who is also with the NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute (NUSNNI) and the Centre for Advanced 2d Materials (CA2DM) at NUS Faculty of science,
More than 200 times more sensitive than commercially available sensors The new sensor, made of graphene
The researchers characterised the new sensor by testing it at various temperatures, angles of magnetic field,
"Compared to other existing sensors, which are made commonly of silicon and indium antimonide, the group's hybrid sensor displayed much higher sensitivity to magnetic fields.
In particular, when measured at 127 Degree celsius (the maximum temperature which most electronics products are operated at),
the researchers observed a gain in sensitivity of more than eightfold over previously reported laboratory results and more than 200 times that of most commercially available sensors.
Another breakthrough in this research was the discovery that mobility of the graphene multilayers can be adjusted partially by tuning the voltage across the sensor
enabling the sensor's characteristics to be optimised. This control gives the material an advantage over commercially available sensors.
In addition, the sensor showed very little temperature dependence over room temperature to 127 Degree celsius range, making it an ideal sensor suitable for environments of higher temperature.
Meeting industry demand The magnetoresistance sensor industry, estimated to be worth US$1. 8 billion in 2014,
is expected to grow to US$2. 9 billion by the year 2020. Graphene-based magnetoresistance sensors hold immense promise over existing sensors due to their stable performance over temperature variation, eliminating the necessity for expensive wafers or temperature correction circuitry.
Production cost for graphene is also much lower than silicon and indium antimonide. Potential applications for the new sensor include the automotive industry,
where sensors in cars, located in devices like flow meters, position sensors and interlocks, are made currently of silicon or indium antimonide.
For instance, when there is a change in temperature due to the car's air-conditioner or heat from the sun,
properties of the conventional sensors in the car change as well. To counter this, a temperature correction mechanism is required, incurring additional production cost.
However, with the team's new hybrid sensor, the need for expensive wafers to manufacture the sensors,
and additional temperature correction circuitries can be eliminated.""Our sensor is poised perfectly to pose a serious challenge in the magnetoresistance market by filling the performance gaps of existing sensors,
and finding applications as thermal switches, hard drives and magnetic field sensors. Our technology can even be applied to flexible applications,"added Assoc Prof Yang.
The research team has filed a patent for the invention. Following this proof-of-concept study,
the researchers plan to scale up their studies and manufacture industry-size wafers for industrial use e
The full study has been published in the Lab on a Chip journal. The number of people dying from cancer in developing countries is on the increase, partly due to steadily ageing populations
#Engineers design magnetic cell sensors MIT engineers have designed magnetic protein nanoparticles that can be used to track cells
the researchers used one of the most promising candidates to create a magnetic sensor consisting of enhanced ferritin modified with a protein tag that binds with another protein called streptavidin.
Such sensors could also be used to monitor the effectiveness of stem cell therapies Jasanoff says."
The researchers are now working on adapting the magnetic sensors to work in mammalian cells. They are also trying to make the engineered ferritin even more strongly magnetic c
It is called the ocktail-party problem Typical approaches to solving it have involved either systems with multiple microphones,
Openings around the edge channel sound through 36 passages towards a microphone in the middle. Each passage modifies the sound in a subtly different way as it travels towards the centreoughly
The sensor could make it easier to monitor the quality of heparin supplies. Heparin is used widely as an anticoagulant in cardiovascular surgery as well as in postoperative and long-term therapy.
Biosensors experts are enthusiastic about the sensor. Ben Zhong Tang from the Hong kong University of Science and Technology particularly likes the design
microstructured resistive pressure sensors, flexible printed organic electronic circuits, and nerve cells containing light-activated ion channels. The pressure sensors are made of a carbon nanotube-elastomer composite shaped into tiny pyramidal structures that are coated onto a surface.
The sensor changes conductance in response to applied pressure. Bao previously made similar capacitive sensors,
but the new resistive sensors better detect the range of pressures sensed by human skin.
Each sensor is connected to an organic circuit printed with the help of researchers at Xerox Palo alto Research center (PARC.
The circuit converts the pressure signal into a series of electrical pulses and increases pulse frequency in response to increasing pressure. his circuit is relatively simple to build,
Bao says. t serves as the perfect electrical readout for our sensors. The researchers used the electrical pulses to modulate the frequency of a light-emitting diode.
In their proof-of-concept study, they sent light from the LED through an optical fiber to stimulate neurons in mouse brain slices.
#Memory-Boosting Devices Tested in Humans A strategy designed to improve memory by delivering brain stimulation through implanted electrodes is undergoing trials in humans.
both groups are studying people with epilepsy who already have implanted electrodes. The researchers can use these electrodes both to record brain activity
and to stimulate specific groups of neurons. Although the ultimate goal is to treat traumatic brain injury
and is seeking regulatory approval to use a more precise electrode array. Although it would be useful from a basic-science viewpoint to discover why stimulation works so well,
a paralyzed 28-year-old man reported a ear-naturalsense of touch from a sensor-laden robotic hand wired to a brain implant.
When a person thinks about certain movements electrodes pick up the nerve and muscle activity, recognize patterns,
electrode arrays were placed onto a paralyzed volunteer sensory and motor cortices. The former manages our sense of touch and the latter controls physical movement of the body.
The implant was wired then to a robotic hand built by the Applied Physics laboratory at Johns Hopkins. Using advanced pressure sensors,
Better algorithms and more sensitive electrodes might yield finer motor control. And advances in brain-machine interfaces should make implants less invasive.
#Designed by a 16-year-old, these headphones are meant to save your hearing Wee going deaf using headphones.
whether in tiny earphones or big expensive cans, knows that because that what your mom kept telling you. 16-year-old Kingsley Cheng got the same speech from his parents
whenever he rocked his big headphones, the music leaking out in the room around him. urn down the volume
The same data says that 12 percent of children aged 6-19 suffer from hearing loss caused by bad headphone use.
There are a few headphones on the market claiming they can protect your hearing, but none of them were quite right for Kingsley.
Earlier this year, Kingsley and his dad who a 20-year veteran in the US consumer electronics industry put their heads together to produce he world safest headphones.
Their first effort, the Aegis Pro headphones, is now on Kickstarter. Along with serial entrepreneur Anthony Lye, the startup they co-founded, Aegis Acoustics, is on a mission to prevent further hearing loss among kids who love consuming their music with headphones.
Kingsley offered design ideas for the headphones and came up with the company name, Rayman and Anthony handled the business side,
and sound and audio tech specialist Gates Tan came in as CTO to tackle the technical details.
the Aegis Pro headphones don look like a particularly revolutionary product. It definitely a stylish pair of cans,
and a dual speaker on each headphone to ensure protection and performance. On the software side
The headphones also employ active noise cancellation tech to block out ambient noise. Traditionally, sounds from the environment seeping into our headphones make us crank the volume up to potentially unhealthy levels without even realizing.
The Aegis Pro features four built-in mics that analyze the user surrounding noise and reduce it using an opposite frequency.
Finally, performance is enhanced by the dual speakers in each headphone. Split into a low frequency driver that covers the bass and a high frequency tweeter that delivers the vocals
The headphones can work wirelessly via bluetooth, but also come with a 3. 5mm audio jack. Aegis says the battery can last for up to 14 hours.
and a built-in microphone for you to talk into. The company says it conducted several tests in reputable labs to determine the best way to deliver good performance
If reached, Aegis wants to pack higher quality speaker drivers into the headphones, promising better sound.
that specializes in headphone manufacturing and which serves quite a few big headphone brands though Aegis won divulge which.
They say however, that the manufacturer expertise in this area was extremely helpful, offering insight and advice that made the product better.
you can put more of them on the same chip, bringing them closer to practical realization. i
Because it is a noninvasive test relying on sensors placed on the skin, it is easier to administer than traditional methods to measure muscle capacity, such as MRIS or biopsies.#
The research was conducted using middle-aged rats, where electrodes which sends out minute micro-electrical impulses were implanted in the brains.
said Prof Ajai who is a recipient of NTU prestigious Nanyang Assistant Professorship award. he electrodes are harmless to the rats,
with electrode pads affixed to the shaved scalp. It is powered by a separate, portable battery attached by long wires.
putting electrode pads on their head and being hooked up to a battery about the size of a small laptop computer
and the possibility of combining this high-technology system with the microchip they previously developed in 2013.
The chip would be used to detect the imminent occurrence of a seizure, in order to activate the pump to inject the drug at just the right moment.
which are the basic charges to make the building blocks of ionic devices such as to name only a few can be, fuel cells, electrolysis cells, batteries, gas sensors,
which are used typically as components in optic and electronic devices. By decreasing the spacing between electronic circuits on a microchip, for example,
one can fit more circuits on the same chip to produce a device with greater computing power.
A team of Ph d. students and undergraduate researchers led by UC San diego nanoengineering professor Darren Lipomi demonstrated that the key to generating a smaller nanogap between two nanostructures involves using a graphene spacer,
Having graphene still in the structures is not desirable for electronic devices which require an entire gap between the structures.
He mentions watches and consumer electronics, like the smart phone, as examples. The military in particular may want to use spinel as transparent armor for vehicles and face shields.
Spinel windows could also protect sensors on space satellites, an area Sanghera interested in testing. ou could leave these out there for longer periods of time,
a novel wind lidar called Aladin incorporating two powerful lasers, a large telescope and very sensitive receivers.
Giuseppe Pulella, Programme Manager for the laser transmitter at the Selex-ES factory near Florence, added, e have been working at the forefront of optics
there are antennas that receive signals. This function is assumed by the plexin B2 receptor, which receives a location signal from neighbouring cells,
meaning the antenna, says Worzfeld. In both cases, the damaged kidney was unable to regenerate,
Many interesting and important structures in biological cells and computer chips have features smaller than that.
and our current detectors have resolutions of about 10 microns or so at best, Pickworth said. e really need better than that to see what going on inside the hot spot. This microscope is going to provide much better resolution by using X-ray optics,
with detector resolution and a lot more throughput than other imaging systems. n
#Scientists tune X-rays with tiny mirrors The secret of X-ray science like so much else is in the timing.
MEMS are fabricated microscale devices using silicon wafers in facilities that make integrated circuits. The MEMS device acts as an ultrafast mirror reflecting X-rays at precise times and specific angles. xtremely compact devices such as this promise a revolution in our ability to manipulate photons coming from synchrotron light sources,
Now, a novel kind of pressure stocking developed by Fraunhofer researchers is set to help protect against wounds via an integrated sensor system that sends a warning
In-stocking sensors provide three-dimensional pressure readings To ensure that poorly healing wounds don occur in the first place,
researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg with support from industry partners and colleagues from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated circuits IIS in Erlangen have developed a special stocking with integrated sensors.
40 very fine, dielectric elastomer sensors measure compression load and distribution for diabetes patients taking over the job usually performed by the nerves in their feet. xisting systems on the market measure the pressure distribution
Our sensors are attached to the stocking sole, at the heel, the top of the foot and the ankle,
Electronics transmit data to your smartphone The sensors are made from a soft and very stretchy elastomer silicone film that is easy to integrate into textiles.
This film is coated on both sides with highly flexible electrodes of graphite or carbon black. When the film deforms as a result of compression or stretching,
The sensors can recognize this, and transmit the measurement signal via a conductive thread to a wireless electronics unit developed by researchers at Fraunhofer IIS
and consisting of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip and a controller. he unit is designed to record high-resolution readings from up to 40 capacitive sensors across an extremely wide value range,
says Johann Hauer, the Fraunhofer IIS project manager responsible for the project. The ASIC collects the measurement data
The sensors, on the other hand, have to be resistant to water and detergent. he first washability tests are in planning,
The sensors are stitched either or glued between two layers of fabric, which makes the stockings more comfortable to put on
Joggers could use the integrated sensor stockings to analyze their running style and foot positioning y
or ommunicate via an acoustic modem, or a satellite link,?Williams explains. hat the system does is,
#Hard-wearing sensor defying soot and heat Measuring the content of nitrogen oxides (NOX) in the exhaust gases from a ship is, in itself,
several ports worldwide are now requesting shipping companies to restrict their NOX emissions. ith a new sensor,
More customers making green requirements A prototype of the sensor has passed just a practical test where it has been in operation for more than four months on board one of Maersk Line container vessels.
First with direct measurements ight from the start, it became clear that infrared sensors would be able to perform the required measurements.
The big challenge was that the sensors would be required to continue to deliver reliable measurements over very long periods in an aggressive environment,
and the level of soot and various aggressive substances that the sensors are exposed in the exhaust gases from a marine engine during day-to-day operation.
which in combination makes the sensor glass dirt-repellent. In other words, the glass in the instrument is not in itself ano?
Following successful testing at sea, the sensor will now be put through a series of tests at Green Instruments
and marketing the new sensor
#Ebola Vaccine Demonstrates 100%Protection in Latest African Trial According to an unusual new study, published last week in the world most prestigious medical journal Lancet, the deadly outbreak
T cells become active when a signalften from a virus or bacteriumriggers molecular sensors on their surface
paving the way for high-density storage to move from hard disks onto integrated circuits. This image taken from a computer simulation shows nanomagnets tilted at various angles,
the physics needed to create long-term storage are not compatible with integrated circuits. reating and switching polarity in magnets without an external magnetic field has been a key focus in the field of spintronics.
which is why magnets have not yet been integrated onto computer chips. Instead, there are separate systems for long-term magnetic memory.
or RAM, on the integrated circuits of the central processing unit, or CPU, where calculations and logic operations are performed.
Packing a sufficient number of nanomagnets onto a chip meant aligning them perpendicularly but that vertical orientation negated the switching effects of tantalum. e found that by tilting the magnet just 2 degrees was enough you get all the benefits of a high-density magnetic switch without the need for an external magnetic field,
Now, Wyss Institute researchers led by Church have developed a new suite of such sensors, reported in Nucleic acids Researchjournal,
Now, researchers at MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research are closing that information gap by developing a tiny biochemical sensor that can be implanted in cancerous tissue during the initial biopsy.
The sensor then wirelessly sends data about telltale biomarkers to an external eaderdevice, allowing doctors to better monitor a patient progress
the David H. Koch (1962) Professor in Engineering in the Department of Materials science and engineering and a Koch Institute investigator who oversaw the sensor development. ather than waiting months to see
Two MIT doctoral students in Cima lab worked with him on the sensor project: Vincent Liu, now a postdoc at MIT,
Their research is featured in a paper in the journal Lab on a Chip that has been published online.
Once implanted, the sensor wirelessly sends data about biomarkers to an external eaderdevice, allowing doctors to better monitor a patient progress
Measurements without MRI The sensors developed by Cima team provide real-time, on-demand data concerning two biomarkers linked to a tumor response to treatment:
these sensors, read over time, could let you see how hypoxia was changing in the tumor,
The sensor housing, made of a biocompatible plastic, is small enough to fit into the tip of a biopsy needle.
Devising a power source for these sensors was critical, Cima explains. Four years ago, his team built a similar implantable sensor that could be read by an MRI SCANNER.
RI scans are expensive and not easy to make part of routine care, he says. e wanted to take the next step
For power, these new sensors rely on the reader. Specifically, there a metal coil inside the reader and a much smaller coil in the sensor itself.
An electric current magnetizes the coil inside the reader, and that magnetic field creates a voltage in the sensor coil
when the two coils are close together a process called mutual inductance. The reader sends out a series of pulses,
and the sensor ings back, as Cima puts it. The variation in this return signal over time is interpreted by a computer to
Additional applications Cima team successfully tested the sensors in lab experiments including implanting them in rodents.
While the sensors were implanted only for a few weeks, Cima believes they could be used to monitor a person health over many years. here are thousands of people alive today,
he says. ee making these sensors out of materials that are in these kinds of long-term implants,
These initial experiments showed that the sensors could quickly, reliably, and accurately detect ph and oxygen concentration in tissue.
The researchers next want to see how well the sensors do measuring changes in ph over an extended period of time. want to push these probes
While the primary application of these sensors would be cancer care, Cima is also eager to collaborate with researchers in other fields, such as environmental science. or example,
Cima says. excited about using these sensors to bring big data to environmental monitoring
#Researchers discover cancer markers may be visible early during human development Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute have uncovered a link between the genomes of cells originating in the neural crest
therefore may help scientists improve the quality of superconducting magnets and sensors, and develop energy-efficient methods for transporting electricity.
It is the most significant material for developing new types of electronic devices because of its many extraordinary properties,
This discovery is aimed at allowing manufacturers of electronics to develop the next-generation of electronic devices that will have much greater performance.
such as military, used in sensors that detect specific chemical and biological species and photonic devices that manipulate light.
whether the system uses a microinverter or a standard string inverter, and whether the system is installed on a rooftop
#Scientists pioneer method to track water flowing through glaciers Researchers for the first time have used seismic sensors to track meltwater flowing through glaciers and into the ocean,
But it the promise of MOF nanoparticles suitable to make into thin films for sensors and microelectronics that is particularly alluring.
for instance, function as a coupled temperature-moisture sensor that rapidly switches from turquoise to dark blue colour for easy identification, reversibly, upon heating.
Thin film sensors created using MOF nanoparticles harvested from hybrid gels The team worked with Isis Innovation to patent the technology and Samsung Electronics
are looking to translate this discovery into a range of real-world applications including optoelectronics, thin-film sensors,
The scattering photons from the laser bounce off obstacles and make their way back to sensors in the camera.
#High-sensitivity, high resolution magnetocardiography (MCG) for use at room temperature developed Researchers at Tohoku University have succeeded in developing a sensor for the living body that can detect the bio-magnetic field with high sensitivity
An engineering example of closed-loop control is a simple thermostat used to maintain a steady temperature in the home.
and found considerable variation in the responses of neuronal networks grown on multi-electrode arrays
which can include as many as a million cells. ecause we have all those electrodes, we can process the data in real-time
The optoclamp can be used to control cell cultures grown atop electrode arrays as well as in living animal models in
which electrodes have been implanted. In research conducted with colleagues at Emory University, the optoclamp ability to maintain a steady neural firing state allowed researchers to study a key control issue in homeostatic plasticity, a phenomenon that results from a lack of neural stimulation.
Applications of these devices include advanced microscopes, displays, sensors, and cameras that can be mass-produced using the same techniques used to manufacture computer microchips. hese flat lenses will help us to make more compact and robust imaging assemblies,
said Mahmood Bagheri, a microdevices engineer at JPL and co-author of a new Nature Nanotechnology study describing the devices. urrently,
and the study principal investigator. ut this new technology is very similar to the one used to print semiconductor chips onto silicon wafers,
Testing the sensors In this study, researchers showed that the mouth guard sensor could offer an easy and reliable way to monitor uric acid levels.
The mouth guard has been tested with human saliva but hasn been tested in a person mouth. Researchers collected saliva samples from healthy volunteers and spread them on the sensor,
which produced readings in a normal range. Next, they collected saliva from a patient who suffers from hyperuricemia,
The sensor detected more than four times as much uric acid in the patient saliva than in the healthy volunteers.
Fabrication and design Wang team created a screen-printed sensor using silver, Prussian blue ink and uricase,
researchers needed to make sure that the sensors only reacted with the uric acid. Nanoengineers set up the chemical equivalent of a two-step authentication system.
which ensures that only the smallest biochemicals get inside the sensor. The second step is a layer of uricase trapped in polymers,
That information is transmitted then to an electronic board as electrical signals via metallic strips that are part of the sensor.
uses small chips that sense the output of the sensors, digitizes this output and then wirelessly transmits data to a smart phone, tablet or laptop.
Researchers also will have to test the materials used for the sensors and electronics to make sure that they are indeed completely biocompatible.
Wang and Mercier lead the Center for Wearable Sensors at UC San diego, which has made a series of breakthroughs in the field,
ultra-miniaturized energy-processing chips and pens filled with high-tech inks for Do it yourself chemical sensors.
C San diego has become a leader in the field of wearable sensors, said Mercier e
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