N E W S 6 June 2017 Seismic and joint diagnostic activity nets finalist berth Dr Geoff Rogers of the University of Canterbury has been announced as a finalist in the 2017 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards, to be presented in June, in the Norman F. B. Barry Foundation Emerging Innovator award category. Dr Rogers' finalist berth is for his work in seismic damping solutions for buildings and joint implant diagnostics. Dr Rodgers has a strong track record of working closely with industry to develop research outcomes with significant benefit to society. His research has applications in fields from seismic protection system for structures through to medical devices. He completed his PhD in seismic energy dissipation at the University of Canterbury in 2009, and then undertook a postdoctoral fellowship in medical device development at the University of Otago. In 2012, he returned to the University of Canterbury to take up an academic role, and is now an associate professor in the mechanical engineering department. Mechanical seismic dampers he developed to dissipate kinetic energy of seismic waves penetrating a building structure are in use in a low-damage Hospital complex in Christchurch. He is also working on other devices and deployment opportunities locally and internationally. Dr Rogers is also developing a new method for early detection of wear and tear of hip joint implants that monitors the sound vibrations transmitted from a patient’s hip replacement im- plants. The acoustic emission monitoring system is a non-invasive sensing technique that records low-level vibrations emitted from the implant during patient motion that make it through tissue to the skin’s surface. By listening to the ultrasonic vibrations of the implant, it is possible to relate them to the condition of the implant, to help Orthopaedic surgeons predict impending failures and manage revision surgery. Early detection of wear and tear may provide opportunities for proactive intervention, reducing the severity of surgery and providing improved patient outcomes His approach to technical development, across a range of industry fields, is always pragmatic and realistic, with uptake by industry being a major goal. New silicon-based capacitor technology from Murata RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), a global distributor for engineers, has launched a new range of silicon capacitors from Murata that implement an innovative and disruptive technology. The patented technology from Murata Integrated Passive Solutions enables the integration of a wide range of capacitor values in silicon, allowing the range to be used in many applications that require high performance and miniaturisation. Demanding applications targeted by the SiCap range include use in space-constrained designs, especially for ultra-broadband, as well as in RF/microwave and hightemperature applications. The Murata SiCaps offer improved stability over temperature, voltage and aging performance, exceeding that offered by alternative capacitor technologies, making them ideal for demanding applications where stability and reliability are the main parameters. These can include products and systems requiring extremely reliable components such as in aeronautics, avionics, and automotive markets, as well as for medical implants. Based on a monolithic structure embedded in a mono-crystalline substrate, the high-density silicon capacitors have been developed using a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) process and use the third (or height) dimension to substantially increase sur face area – and therefore capacitance – without increasing the device’s footprint. The Murata SiCap range includes low-profile devices that are less than 100μm thick for decoupling inside critical-space applications such as for IC decoupling or in MOS-based sensors, broadband modules and RFID products. There are also high-temperature types that can handle up to 250°C with high stability; ultra broadband types for signals up to 60GHz+; and highreliability medical and automotivegrade capacitors for under the hood applications up to 200°C.
EN-June2017-eMag2
To see the actual publication please follow the link above