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WKetel
I agree with "Sharps", and I would offer that in addition to sounding quite a ...
bcarso
Fundamental noise limitations from a small-geometry FET will limit the ...
Plessey signs to make 'disruptive' sensor
Peter Clarke
11/11/2010 8:15 AM EST
CMOS-compatible
As the sensor operates through capacitive coupling, without contact and at long range, the applications are broad, from remote electrocardiopgraphy (ECG) and electroencephalography (EEG) to monitoring muscle movements and breathing and on to non-contact measurements of voltage in electronic circuits. The sensor, which requires no physical or resistive contact to make measurements, will enable novel medical equipment to devices that can "see" through walls, Plessey said. The applications therefore include medical diagnosis and imaging, security, and the human-machine interface.
"We are delighted to have found a partner that we can now go forward with to develop this unique technology into innovative product solutions for the marketplace," said Professor Prance.
Keith Strickland, technology director at Plessey Semiconductors, said, "The EPS technology created by Professor Prance's team at the University of Sussex is a significant innovation that will have a wide-ranging disruptive impact in the sensor market. In conjunction with the University of Sussex, Plessey will be developing an exciting range of EPS sensors utilizing our in-house expertise in semiconductor process technology and design. In particular, our expertise with CMOS image sensors will enable us create very large chips with arrays of EPS sensors. We expect to have our first product prototype available in Q3 of next year for a medical diagnosis product that will significantly advance the ease and quality of cardiac measurements."
The technology is intrinsically low power consumption, Professor Prance said making for the possibility of powering devices by energy harvesting. Plessey's Strickland added: "We think the base technology is highly compatible with CMOS but to combine sensors and wireless we might choose to go system-in-package."
The University of Sussex EPS technology is in the final stages of being granted worldwide patent coverage. It is intrinsically stable and does not need calibration, Plessey said
Next: Medical and sports
As the sensor operates through capacitive coupling, without contact and at long range, the applications are broad, from remote electrocardiopgraphy (ECG) and electroencephalography (EEG) to monitoring muscle movements and breathing and on to non-contact measurements of voltage in electronic circuits. The sensor, which requires no physical or resistive contact to make measurements, will enable novel medical equipment to devices that can "see" through walls, Plessey said. The applications therefore include medical diagnosis and imaging, security, and the human-machine interface.
"We are delighted to have found a partner that we can now go forward with to develop this unique technology into innovative product solutions for the marketplace," said Professor Prance.
Keith Strickland, technology director at Plessey Semiconductors, said, "The EPS technology created by Professor Prance's team at the University of Sussex is a significant innovation that will have a wide-ranging disruptive impact in the sensor market. In conjunction with the University of Sussex, Plessey will be developing an exciting range of EPS sensors utilizing our in-house expertise in semiconductor process technology and design. In particular, our expertise with CMOS image sensors will enable us create very large chips with arrays of EPS sensors. We expect to have our first product prototype available in Q3 of next year for a medical diagnosis product that will significantly advance the ease and quality of cardiac measurements."
The technology is intrinsically low power consumption, Professor Prance said making for the possibility of powering devices by energy harvesting. Plessey's Strickland added: "We think the base technology is highly compatible with CMOS but to combine sensors and wireless we might choose to go system-in-package."
The University of Sussex EPS technology is in the final stages of being granted worldwide patent coverage. It is intrinsically stable and does not need calibration, Plessey said
Next: Medical and sports
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DrQuine
11/11/2010 1:31 PM EST
This new technology sounds like it has "electrical potential". How will the sensors distinguish the voltage of interest from other ambient voltages in remote sensing applications? It sounds like these sensors are inexpensive enough to be used to monitor multiple subsystems. What is the expected price point?
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peter.clarke
11/12/2010 7:02 AM EST
Hi Dr Quine
I was fortunate enough to see an impressive demonstration of the technology at a press event at Electronica. It would seem that in "remote" sensing it might be possible to "confuse" the sensor....so muscles firing could mask the presence of heart beat for example. Professor Prance actually demonstrated that while holding a sensor in each hand.
But the ability to create 1- and 2-D arrays of sensors and intelligent application-specific systems architectures should get round most problems.
As to price; as Plessey has yet to do any of the monolithic or monopackage integration I am sure their executives would say it is too early to give an indication on price. But fundamentally i don't see any reason why the sensor itself should cost more than a few dollars/pounds/euros.
But if you are replacing expensive medical monitoring equipment it would be natural to want to price to value created rather than to the cost of manufacture!
In sports and human-machine interface applications the prices may have to be lower anyway.
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yalanand
11/11/2010 5:01 PM EST
Wow, this is exciting techonology. I can imagine so many numerous applications. Just imagine somebody comes and tells your health report without even you visiting doctor, seems crazy.
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sharps_eng
11/11/2010 6:21 PM EST
This sounds like a refinement of analog 'bootstrapping' to raise apparent input impedance. Effectiveness depends on how accurately the incoming signal can be modelled in the feedback circuit (so as to match it and oppose it) and also how well interfering signals can be nulled out. No doubt the research work has worthwhile applications, but I hope this isn't a lot of marketing types getting over-excited about a relatively incremental development?
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bcarso
11/13/2010 12:13 PM EST
Fundamental noise limitations from a small-geometry FET will limit the effectiveness, feedback techniques or not. In particular higher bandwidths will be difficult. However, that's not to say it couldn't be useful, particularly in arrays with plenty of signal processing. And the reproducibility as an integrated part will be greatly advantageous compared to discrete realizations.
I had a recent occasion to be reminded of the prevalence of electric fields in the local environment, when the aluminum can housing an electret "condenser" mic capsule went open-circuit and ceased to shield the input circuit, which typically has a local gate resistor of a few hundred megohms and a small JFET, which pretty much sets the low-frequency electrical response cutoff. The result was a loud hum/buzz in the audio. I use the mic to remotely monitor the sounds at the front door, so that I don't miss a mail delivery or similar.
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WKetel
11/24/2010 9:35 AM EST
I agree with "Sharps", and I would offer that in addition to sounding quite a bit like the analog "bootstrapping" technique, which I saw explained in the late 1960's as a means of improving transistor circuit input impedances, charge amplifier circuits have also been around for quite a while.
Of course, if they have come up with a means of rejecting the ambient background field well enough to deliver the described performance, that is quite an accomplishment indeed, and very worthy of acclaim.
But I am more likely to consider the development in light of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, which reduces to the assertion that "measuring a quantity has an effect on that quantity", and this usually introduces some error.
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