A brain stroke occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a portion of the brain is obstructed or when a blood vessel leaks or bursts. It is the second leading cause of death in Europe, and 60% of the survivors have different degrees of disability, with a socio-economic impact of the first magnitude for...
Fetal surgeries are among the most complex surgical interventions because entail operating in location with difficult access, through an endoscopic instrument that reduces vision and manoeuvrability, there is usually a lack of information on what to expect inside the patient, time sensitivity and extreme fragility of the patient. Recent advances in medical imaging techniques, artificial...
The main goal of the DentMRI project is to demonstrate a technology capable of simultaneous, high resolution imaging of soft and hard deep biological tissues, and which can be massively deployed in dental clinics within the next decade. Prior to the project start, we have been first to obtain high-resolution images of teeth (the hardest...
Infrared (IR) or thermal imaging sensors, traditionally used in defence, are increasingly being introduced in civilian sectors with the rise of new commercial and high volume markets such as automotive, surveillance, thermography, medical diagnosis, environmental sensing and IR imaging in smartphones. The market size in 2018 is around 1M units for the civil market and...
In the era of precision medicine, cancer therapies are tailored to the specific genetic makeup of a tumour. A main challenge during treatment is the early detection of variations in tumour phenotype that might alter the expected outcome. Early and precise detection of cancer response to treatment is not only important for patient cure success...
The XCOL project provides a breakthrough in X-ray digital imaging by making high resolution, colour X-ray imaging available at an affordable cost. We use innovative design techniques, optimised for X-ray detection, to boost the performance of CMOS image sensors so that they can deliver the longsought step-change in the image quality of large area flat...
Sensors have become key elements of today’s society. We live surrounded by sensors and the society evolves towards generalised and personalised sensorization, which allows a greater availability of data to interact with. However, sensors technology is limited in the field of biosensing, where there are no solutions that include universal and versatile label-free detection systems....
Sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a cardiac arrhythmia that originates whenever there is tissue substrate constituting a re-entrant circuit, i.e., the presence of viable myocytes (‘channels’) embedded in myocardial scar, such as post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) scar. AMI is one of the most prevalent human diseases, and sustained VT is a major cause for sudden...
The aim of the project is to develop a system capable of enabling true terahertz hyperspectral imaging at unprecedented rates. The best performing terahertz spectral imagers nowadays are based on raster scanning, i.e. performing a single pixel spectral analysis and moving the sample, which makes the process time-consuming and, hence, not suitable for most industrial...
Hydrocephalus is a relevant neurosurgical pathology, both in children and in the ageing population. It comprises a wide set of ailments associated with alterations of the cerebrospinal fluid hydrodynamics and the bio-mechanical properties of the nervous central system structures. In many cases, these pathologies are characterised by an enlargement of the lateral ventricles of the...
The Internet of Things (IoT) is defined as a network of nodes able to monitor physical and chemical magnitudes and provide relevant information concerning safety of individuals and goods. This involves continuous monitoring to assess that a safety-relevant magnitude has not reached an alarming threshold value. Stable and reliable power sources are key factors to...
One out of seven couples in Europe suffer from subfertility problems. Assisted reproduction including in vitro fertilization (IVF) has overcome many of the underlying infertility causes. IVF involves crossing sperm with isolated eggs to generate an embryo in vitro. Typically, 5-10 embryos are produced per cycle, and 1 or 2 will be then transferred to...
SUGAR’s objective is the development of an augmented reality (AR) system for minimally-invasive robotic-assisted spinal surgeries. It is agreed that AR has potential to foster the adoption of minimally invasive surgery (MIS), but it suffers from technical problems for which no suitable solutions exist: insufficient tracking precision, complex workflows, low framerates and lack of visualisation...
The overall goal of PRINTBIO is to “domesticate” and to 3D print the electricity-producing bacteria from the genus Geobacter to convert this strain in à-la-carte bioelectrochemical biosensor using graphene-based screen printed electrode as electrochemical platform. Classical microbial biosensors require to engineer bacteria with an external module which contain the reporter protein responsible of the output...
The VISIR technology will create a new class of solid-state imagers by monolithically integrating an innovative double diode structure, based on a GaAs/Ge heterostructure, with a CMOS readout/imaging circuit. This combination will be capable of imaging over the spectral range from 400 to 1600 nm, covering the visible (VIS) and most of the short wavelengths...
This project objective is to develop a new ultrasound breast imaging modality that is safer and more accurate than mammography and cheaper than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The intention is not only to establish it as a new standard routine screening tool to replace mammography, but also to complement MRI diagnosis for women with breast...
Malodours produced by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are an expanding concern as cities surround these facilities. Malodours lower citizens’ quality of life by undesired odour exposure and nuisance, and may negatively impact tourism. Odours are the main cause of pollution perception, together with dust and noise. In particular, WWTPs produce gaseous emissions that might be...
The ALL project is centred on bringing ground breaking adaptive liquid crystal lenses recently developed by the UPM to a state of maturity by which the technology can be transferred from the academic to an industrial environment for further development. The technology developed by the UPM, patent pending, is based on generating high performing lenses, with unprecedented tuning...
Displays components consume the most power in electronic devices such as smartphones. Portable devices usually convert electricity into light to show images and videos, which spends much energy. Alternatively, reflective-type displays in e-book readers consume little power but cannot provide colourful images nor fast frame rates to reproduce videos. Standard technologies cannot meet the requirements for virtual reality...
The present project aims to develop a wood disease detection sensor based on a bio-mimetic principle: repeatedly hitting the tree and listening. Animals such as the Aye-aye Daubentonia madagascariensis use their long, thin finger to constantly hit the surface of the trunks. At the same time, their extremely sensitive ear allows them to differentiate and locate those areas...
