LUMINESCENT CERAMICS FOR NEW LIGHT SOURCES


 Soft pop-up arm performing tissue counter-traction during an ex-vivo test on a porcine stomach, left. EM images of the hybrid soft pop-up actuators, below. The image has been coloured in post processing to differentiate between the soft (in yellow) and the rigid structure (in blue)


applied to the tissue and to give the surgeon a sense ofwhere the armis and howit’smoving. The fabricationmethod allows for bulkmanufacturing,which is important formedical devices, and allows for increased levels of complexity formore sensing or actuation. Furthermore, all materials used are biocompatible. The researchers have


demonstrated that the device can be scaled down to 1mm, whichwould allowit to be used in even tighter endoscopic procedures, such as in lungs or the brain.


CYBER EXPERT


motivate an attack by unscrupulous competitors. Bymanipulating safety


protocols, hackers could cause the robot to injure human operators, or to damage itself or the factory environment. Alternatively, attackersmight attempt to steal sensitive data fromthemachines themselves or the wider company network through remote access.


A technology fromRussia for obtaining luminescent ceramics whichmay become a cheaper alternative tomodern light sources is being developed. In the future such ceramics could replace LEDs or even significantly reduce the cost of production of automobile headlights. Ceramicmaterials are alsomore durable than existing light sources. Ceramicmaterials have a


range of thermal, electrical and mechanical propertieswhich allowtheir use in various fields, including electronics, radioelectronics, defence, oil & gas, nuclear industry, aerospace, automobile, aswell as in power


engineering andmedicine. For example, they canwithstand the cold of space to plasma temperatures in rocket nozzles. Now, a research teamfrom


Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) has obtained various types of luminescent and transparent ceramics (ie nanoceramics or luminophors) on a spark-plasma sintering unit (SPS) for powder materials. Ceramic powder is placed in a specialmouldwhich is conductive and capable of withstanding high temperatures


 Ceramic light sources, which can vary in glow colour, will be cheaper to produce than LEDs


and pressure casting. To sinter it quickly, the powder is heated by impulse current at the required temperature and simultaneously compressed. “Inmass production,


luminescent nanoceramic light sources cost less compared to modern LEDswith amore complex electronic structure,” said Professor Oleg Khasanov. “Depending on the composition of luminophor it is possible to obtain a variable spectrumof glow—white, blue, yellow, etc.”


ROBOT PLAYS ITS PART IN HOLBY CITY


Renishaw’s neuromate stereotactic robot recently featured in an episode of the BBC dramaHolby City. During the episode, neuromate assistswith the treatment of a patientwho suffers fromobsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) and who undergoes a stereotactic deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedure. In the storyline, neurosurgeons


use advancedMRI technology and Renishaw’s neuroinspire software to identify the region of the brain responsible for generating the OCD symptoms. A carbothane neuroguide tube kit is used to create tracts for the insertion of thin and flexible specialist electrodes. Powered by a battery pack


implanted in the patient’s chest, the electrodes deliver a series of persistent electrical impulses to stimulate the symptom- generating region of the brain. DBS can have remarkable


therapeutic effects in the treatment of OCD and other neuro-disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. To be


 The neuroinspire software offers surgeons an easy-to-use platform


effective, the electrical stimulationmust be delivered at a high frequency, typically greater than 130Hz. Renishaw’s neuroinspire


software provides neurosurgeons with an easy-to-use platformfor


target identification and trajectory planning. The software fusesMRI and CT datasets into a 3D volume, enabling neurosurgeons to explore the best approach, avoiding key anatomy and blood vessels.


October 2017 /// Environmental Engineering /// 5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60