The recent technological breakthrough in cryo electron tomography (cryoET) opens to imaging, at close to atomic resolution, of macromolecular complexes in their native cellular context. This technique is seminal for a new field in Life Sciences referred to as cellular structural biology which is starting to shed light on how fine conformational states of protein...
The aim of this project is to develop a wearable sensing platform by integrating two emerging technologies: metamaterial sensors and piezoelectric polymers. Moreover, 3D printing techniques will be utilised to fabricate the platform for realizing versatile, cost-effective and personalised devices. The integration of electromagnetic metamaterials and piezoelectric smart materials onto one mechanically flexible platform has...
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is currently being used to establish if a patient diagnosed with cancer has developed metastasis in other organs in the body. This test is therefore used to decide the type of procedure to follow, usually based on chemo – and radio – therapies, but not for preventive screening. This decision is...
We propose a compact imaging and particle-tracking device, named INSTANT, consisting of a complete detection and image processing system, from pixel sensors to data processing electronics. It provides very high time (10ps) and space (10μm) resolution per pixel. Embedded data processing for data compression and real-time reconstruction of the recorded events is also a key...
The transverse position of the charged particle beam circulating in an accelerator is one of the most basic yet crucial observables. Efficient and safe operation of every accelerator, as well as performance reach of many physic experiments, relies heavily on accurate beam position measurements. Such measurements are typically performed with Beam Position Monitors (BPM) –...
Although most people associate x-rays with medical applications or security scans, their use is widespread, with many industrial sectors and scientific disciplines dependent on them. For over a century, x-rays have been primarily used in a binary fashion, recording if they are absorbed by matter or not, termed attenuation contrast. However, x-rays are waves, exhibiting...
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...
Viral lasers represent a disruptive breakthrough in biological sensing with the potential to unlock new avenues of discovery in health research and the life sciences. The interdisciplinary technology bridges laser physics and synthetic biology to tackle biological sensing problems. The inventive use of laser phenomena gives the technology its unprecedented signal generation capabilities, but the...
This project aims at developing innovative biocompatible sensors able to monitor the status of tissue implants in vivo, at human scale. These sensors are aimed at reporting on the degradation of the scaffold and on the overall transplanted cells conditions. They represent a completely new class of MRI contrast agents that display remarkable relaxation effects...
The Low Temperature Communication Link is a component of a more ambitious programme “Smart Diagnostics of Superconducting Magnets”. The initial idea of “Smart Diagnostics” is included in the FuSuMaTech Initiative. It comes from considering a superconducting magnet as an IoT (Internet of Things) device. Even if this is presented as targeting superconducting magnets the solution...
One-hundred-and-fifteen years after the first device was developed by Sir William Crookes, scintillator technologies remain an integral part of particle detectors in fundamental particle, nuclear, medical and applied physics applications worldwide. Primarily, these are research systems and are bespoke, one off detectors designed for high-performance and permanent installation within controlled and routinely monitored environments. Commercial...
The idea of global, low earth orbit satellite constellations delivering high data rate free-space communication from and to any point in the world is reaching maturity. Projects by SpaceX, OneWeb, Facebook and Google are only a few examples of many initiatives which have recently been publicised. Key to the success of such deployments is the...
Ion pollution in water causes a wide range of environmental and health problems across the world, including throughout Europe. The extent of the problem is growing, and there is, therefore, an urgent need to develop practical strategies to mitigate this pollution. This project will the latest advances in nanotechnology, to develop a new system to...
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...
The aim of this project is to develop a new x-ray micro computed tomography (micro-CT) technique that will allow performing high-resolution scans with significantly less radiation dose than conventional machines. In the latter, dose generally increases cubically with increasing the spatial resolution; therefore, high-resolution scans require high doses. This means that such scans are not applicable to...
This project will investigate innovative ways to realise single photon visible light imagers for a number of applications in astronomy, quantum technologies, autonomous systems, and life sciences. The main objective is to create image sensor designs suitable for adaptive optics systems and low-light level spectroscopic and imaging applications, based on detailed semiconductor and technology device...
A high-resolution low-cost time-to-digital converter (TDC) technique has been developed utilising low-cost off-the-shelf field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology. This TDC allows for the measurement of events to picosecond accuracies across many channels. A resolution of 1ps, an accuracy of 12ps RMS (single channel) and differential and integral nonlinearity figures of <±1 have been demonstrated, far...
Micro-CT scanners create 3D images of small specimens’ X-ray attenuation. However, when attenuation is low, or there is little difference in attenuation between adjacent features, such scanners may provide insufficient image contrast. X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging (XPCI), originally introduced in synchrotron systems, is a method of imaging the refractive index of the specimen and is...
Many aspects of modern life can be improved by rapid, non-contact identification of chemicals. To control and understand harmful gasses we need to detect transport emissions in real city environments and also map them across continents. To keep European citizens and infrastructure safe we need to be able to scan for traces of explosive or...
Sensor technology impacts almost all major technologies and new and improved sensor systems will continue to be needed in the future. This project will develop a new paradigm for ultra-high-speed laser manufacturing of low-cost novel micro- and nano-sensor structures and smart 2-D sensory materials that could be even flexible and wearable. These could lead to...
