Archive for the ‘magnetic’ tag
‘Umbrella’ shields spacecraft from super-charged particles
A magnetic ‘umbrella’ designed to mimic the Earth’s magnetosphere, could be used to protect astronauts on future long-duration missions to the moon or mars.
The Earth’s magnetosphere deflects many of the super-fast charged particles raining down on the planet, while the atmosphere absorbs the majority of the rest.
Space agencies acknowledge that astronauts face a significant risk of ill heath or even death if they are experience major exposure to this harsh environment. Even spacecraft are not immune from the effects.
Researchers from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), the Universities of York and Strathclyde, and IST Lisbon, believe it is possible to create a portable mini-magnetosphere for spaceships.
Read more on: Aerospace, Design, magnetic, magnetsGetting to grips with microscale objects
Tiny grippers capable of grabbing and moving microscale objects have been developed by researchers from Johns Hopkins University.
David Gracias, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Johns Hopkins University, and his team based the tetherless grippers on human hands, which have rigid phalanges and flexible joints. The grippers’ trilayer structure consists of a film made of chromium and copper layer topped with a polymer.
The Johns Hopkins University grippers exploit benign cues such as temperature of biomolecules to trigger gripping and release motions.
Gracias explained: “The film is like a stretched rubber band, when you release it; it immediately tries to curl up.”
The polymer controls whether the film curls up. If the polymer is stiff, the gripper stays open. When the polymer is softened by temperature or chemical triggers, the gripper closes around its target. The grippers release again when another chemical is applied.
Read more on: Bio Tech, chemicals, copper, Design, grippers, magnetic, magnets, polymerTongue-controlled sensing system
Individuals with severe disabilities could lead more independent lives with the help of an assistive technology developed by engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
To operate the Tongue Drive system, potential users only need to be able to move their tongues.
Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor at the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who helped develop the device, explained: “We chose the tongue to operate the system because unlike hands and feet, which are controlled by the brain through the spinal cord, the tongue is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve that generally escapes damage in severe spinal cord injuries or neuromuscular diseases.
“Tongue movements are also fast, accurate and do not require much thinking, concentration or effort.”
Read more on: Bio Tech, brain, Design, magnetic, sensors, tongue, wirelessEngineers gain control of internal imaging device
In collaboration with engineers from the manufacturer Given Imaging, the Israelite Hospital in Hamburg and the Royal Imperial College in London, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering in Sankt Ingbert have developed the first-ever control system for the camera pill.
Currently images of the inside of the intestine can be obtained via a tiny camera swallowed by the patient. It makes its way through the intestine and transmits images of the intestinal villi to an external receiver which the patient carries on a belt. This device stores the data that can later be analysed by a doctor. The camera is not very suitable for examinations of the esophagus and the stomach because it only takes about three or four seconds to make its way through the esophagus – producing two to four images per second – and once it reaches the stomach, its roughly five-gram weight causes it to drop very quickly to the lower wall of the stomach. In other words, it is too fast to deliver usable images. For examinations of the esophagus and the stomach patients still have to swallow a thick endoscope.
Read more on: Bio Tech, camera, control, DAQ, Electronics, imaging, magneticResearchers step up to the sensor challenge
A tiny sensor that can read the data from nano-scale magnetic circuits is being developed by researchers from Sheffield and Leeds Universities.
The researchers believe that in some cases, magnetic nanotechnology devices could offer higher device density, lower power consumption, improved reliability or additional functionality, compared with more traditional silicone-based devices.
The project aims to develop a network of magnetic nanowires that can process information. The magnetic polarisation of various regions, or domains of the wire would represent the binary numbers of digital information. While this is not new, the challenge facing the team is to develop a device that can read out the magnetic data in a form compatible with modern electronics.
Read more on: chip, Design, Electronics, magnetic, nanotechnology, nanowires, sensor, sensors, Silicon