Technology: Weak signals for new diagnostic applications in the medical field and TLC "captured"

ENEA has patented innovative weak electromagnetic signal amplifiers that allow extremely accurate measurements, which cannot be obtained with other methods, for applications in the medical field (ultrasound equipment and body scanners), telecommunications (radar and sonar), cultural heritage (laser diagnostic systems) up to nuclear physics experiments.

In addition to reduced size and electricity consumption and production costs 75% lower than market prices, these hi-tech systems guarantee high performance in terms of reliability and work even with noise present in the surrounding environment, such as the electricity grid, radio transmitters and other electronic equipment.

"The first test bench for this technology was the ENEA high resolution RGB-ITR 3D laser scanner for the study of cultural heritage. They will soon be used in our laser system to detect contaminants and food frauds and for real-time diagnostics of power transmission lines made with ceramic superconductors, i.e. hi-tech cables that can transport electricity without any energy loss, " Simone Mannori, ENEA researcher at the Diagnostics and Metrology laboratory, explained. Other sectors, such as nanotechnologies, photovoltaic cells, the studies on electrochemical phenomena related to fuel cells operation and on the batteries for the accumulation of electricity used in fixed and mobile sectors (electric vehicles), will benefit from the new technologies.

"In addition to a 75% reduction in costs as compared to market prices, our technological solutions can significantly reduce size, weight and power consumption of the amplifiers and, consequently, the need for dissipating heat through fans or other heat exchange methods. This last factor is crucial in all those situations where the electronic equipment needs to be made 'hermetic' to the  external environment, such as in operating theaters", Mannori, continued.

In fact, ENEA can provide technical-scientific support to companies interested in this technology for the design of ad hoc solutions, particularly SMEs which, compared to larger companies, can adjust their production process more flexibly.

"Currently, companies operating in this sector are very few. Moreover, there are some critical issues related to the devices on the market, starting from the scarce variety of models. These systems are very expensive and suitable only for a general use in the laboratory. Their internal software is not proprietary and can’t be changed: for some applications, the impossibility of having free access to internal programs (including the possibility of modifying them to meet one’s needs) is a significant obstacle for the end user. The software of the ENEA amplifiers, instead, is released through Open Source licenses and the hardware, covered by a patent, is fully documented. In this way we give the end user the possibility of adapting the architecture of the appliance to his specific needs", the researcher pointed out.

For more information please contact:

Simone Mannori, ENEA -  Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, simone.mannori@enea.it