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Advances Wales contactTo receive a regular free copy of Advances Wales, change contact details or to obtain free back issues please complete and return the reader reply card or contact Alyson Smith, Welsh Assembly Government, Plas Glyndŵr, Kingsway, Cardiff CF10 3AH, Wales, UK

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Organisations featured in this issue

In the previous issue – Advances Wales 63

Advances Wales publishes news and features in the following sectors

Materials

Agriculture

Environment

Energy

Food

Engineering

Manufacturing

Earth sciences

Electronics

Communications

Information technology

Opto-electronics

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THE JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY IN walesadvances

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� e dawn of printed electronicsThe innovative Welsh company

that is pioneering products in this new, dynamic industry

A multi-layered approach to photovoltaic

energy 26

A new approach to preventing dementia 17

Annual MediWales Innovation Awards 5

A timely tribute to innovation in Wales 4

Biotechnology service awarded sought-after

certifi cate 4

Bloomin’ marvellous: could algae solve our

fuel problems? 12

Boost to Welsh creative media sector 6

Cardiff researchers have success down to a T 7

Course of true commercialisation runs very

smoothly 10

Energy management spin-out attracts high-

profi le leader 7

First Minister will open BioWales 2010 3

First recipient for innovation scholarship 5

HomeFill allows patients to breathe easy 18

Keeping in tune with the body 20

New energy industry training centre 5

New medical devices company 3

Power amplifi ers that go up to eleven 24

Professor Tim Claypole awarded MBE 8

Proteins are the key to improved TB

diagnosis 16

School of Biosciences gains world-class

leader 8

Siemens wins top award 4

The turbocharger that no longer lags behind 27

Through thick and thin 14

Transforming wound care 22

UK’s fi rst ‘hydrogen highway’ 6

Aber Instruments Ltd 12Bangor University 24Business Innovation – Wales

Innovators Network 10Cardiff University 14Dectag Tracking Solutions Ltd 26

Reynolds International Ltd 18SmartKem Ltd 20Spectrum Technologies plc 22Swansea University 16Synidor Ltd 27

� e best year yet for Wales at Geneva’s International Exhibition of Inventions 10

Natural alternatives to chemical insecticides 16

Inkjet and ultraviolet technology used to identify wires 22

medicine

Advances Wales is a high-quality, quarterly ‘transfer of technology’ journal produced by the Welsh Assembly Government to showcase new developments in science, engineering and technology from Wales. Devoted to concise reports and commentary, it provides a broad overview of the current technology research and development scene in the Principality. Advances Wales raises the profi le of the technologies and expertise available from Wales in order to facilitate collaborative relationships between organisations and individuals interested in new technologies and innovation.

To receive free copies of Advances Wales or to change your mailing details please contact Advances Wales, Welsh Assembly Government, Plas Glyndŵr, Kingsway, Cardiff CF10 3AH, Wales, UK (tel +44 (0)29 2082 8735, fax +44 (0)29 2036 8229, email [email protected]).

Editorial board Dr David Bembo, Luc Brown, Dr Alastair Davies, Peter Francombe, Dr Peter Hodges, Marcia Jones, Jon Merrey, Alyson Smith, Nick Ward and Dr Gwion Williams. Commissioning Editor Alyson Smith. For information on how to contribute features contact the editor, Catriona Vernal (tel +44 (0)1738 450494, fax +44 (0)870 164 0124, email [email protected]).

Advances Wales is published on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government by Prepress Projects Ltd, Algo Business Centre, Glenearn Road, Perth PH2 0NJ Editor Catriona Vernal Lead Designer Leah Gourley Publisher Helen MacDonald. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Welsh Assembly Government or its employees. The Welsh Assembly Government is not responsible for third-party sources cited such as web sites or reports. ISSN 0968-7920. Printed in Wales by MWL Print Group, Pontypool. Crown Copyright.

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advances wales

THE JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY IN WALES

After you read this issue’s special feature on how Wales performed at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, please stop and re� ect for a moment. Yes, it is excellent that every entry from Wales won a medal. And, yes, we should be pleased with ourselves. And, further still, it really proves that Wales can produce innovative world-class products.

Be inspired by this. What would it take for your company’s product or service to win a medal in Geneva? I’m not asking you to win a medal next year, only to consider what it might take in terms of innovation.

e prizewinners at Geneva are examples that you really can follow. Innovation is not for superheroes – it’s simply a frame of mind. ese businesses are no di� er-ent from yours – except that they believed they could innovate. You can too.

You see, remarkable developments are unfolding that show that Wales takes innovation very seriously, developments that will help enhance performance in future years. e � rst ever chief scientist for Wales has recently been appointed. Professor Harries is a world-class scientist, and his appointment is another indica-tor that achieving progress through science and technology is embedded in Welsh thinking.

Furthermore, we see that a national science academy is to be established in Wales to help ensure that graduates leave higher education appropriately prepared in terms of quali� cations and skills. And, based on the performance at Geneva, they can begin careers with Welsh companies already competing successfully at a world-class level.

It’s a safe bet to say that next year’s exhibition in Geneva will see another out-standing performance from Wales, and the one after that, and so on. Innovation in Wales is going from strength to strength. If you operate within the Welsh business community, be inspired and become part of that strong performance. Perhaps next year it will be you winning the medals at Geneva.

Catriona VernalEditor, Advances Wales

contents and editorial

COVER IMAGE SmartKem Ltd (p. 20) is using the expertise of many disciplines to develop printed electronics products.

PHOTOGRAPHY Sourced from organisations featured, their representatives and iStockphoto.

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2 27issue 64 ■ summer 2010

news 3

special featureWales goes to Geneva 10

biotechnologyFermenting new ideas for the

pharmaceutical industry 12

engineeringTransforming power magnetics research 14

agriculturePest control – the natural way 16

earth sciencesImaging underground 18

electronicsA unique chemistry between disciplines 20

manufacturingA real live wire in inkjet technology 22

information technologyInteractive virtual environments technology

for surgical procedures 24

communicationsOn the right track to fi nding missing

equipment 26

medicine‘Intelligent mattress’ prevents

pressure ulcers 27

‘Intelligent mattress’ prevents pressure ulcersBy enlisting academic expertise, a South Wales-based company has developed specialist technology to help prevent pressure ulcers

The Synidor system causes no discomfort and complements existing pressure relief regimes. Generally, the patient will be completely unaware of the monitoring process.

Frank EdwardsManaging Director, Synidor Ltd

ProfileProduct Movement sensing system

Applications Prevention of pressure ulcers

Contact Frank Edwards, Managing Director, Synidor Ltd, Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UKTel +44 (0)1792 602697Email [email protected] Web www.synidor.com

For more information please circle 6409 on the reader reply card

Unfortunately, a large number of people are

at risk of developing pressure ulcers at some time during their life. ey can be extremely painful and can rapidly develop into severe wounds that become progressively more di� cult to treat. ey also have an unhealthy impact on our care system: they are expensive to treat and can cause bed blocking.

Synidor Ltd, based in Swansea, South Wales, has developed an innovative bed monitoring system – an intelligent mattress cover that detects and warns of excessive periods of immobility by bed occupants that could cause the onset of pressure ulcers. It alerts the patient, nursing sta� or carer that a posture has been held for a period that puts at risk the health of the skin, enabling remedial action to be taken.

CollaborationSynidor’s monitoring system was developed by Frank Edwards, who subsequently sought expertise from Dr Michael Clark at the Welsh Wound Network to help him develop the product further. Frank also enlisted the help of PDR ( e National Centre for Product Design and Development Research) at the University of Wales Institute in Cardi� , and also Glamorgan University, for the pre-production of circuit boards and soft tooling for the casing. By combining their di� erent areas of expertise, the collaboration of Synidor and these Welsh universities has enabled the creation of an innovative product that could impact nationally on the health care system.

How it worksAn ‘intelligent’ mattress cover means that monitoring measurements can be made without having sensors either on or under

the patient. It is a disposable item which will not be a� ected by the normal day-to-day cleaning regime. When insu� cient movement is detected, visible and audible alarms are triggered, which can be programmed for the speci� c turning regime diagnosed for the patient.

Patient movements, however small, are monitored through the sensors (positioned on the side of the mattress) and passed to an electronic processor. If no patient movement is detected in a predetermined time, prescribed by the nurse or carer, the patient may be at risk of developing pressure ulcers and will require nursing intervention.

e electronics in the alarm unit continually process the data, timing the lack of movement from the last signi� cant signal if the lapsed time exceeds the set time for the turning regime.

Ultimately, the Synidor system empowers at-risk patients to become involved in their own preventative care while allowing hospitals or care homes to reduce the risk of patients developing pressure ulcers. ■

issue 64 ■ summer 20103

news

First ever chief scientific advisor for Wales

esteemed scientist professor john harries has been appointed as the highly anticipated first chief scientific advisor for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Hailing from Mid Wales, Professor Harries is renowned in the world of science and is well known for leading the team, between 1970 and 1997, that produced the first direct observational evidence of an increase in the Earth’s greenhouse effect.

Professor Harries is currently Professor of Earth Observation at Imperial College, London, where he is a member of the Grantham Institute for Climate Research. In the past, he has been President of the Royal Meteorological Society and the International Radiation Commission, and has acted as a senior advisor in government. He was also the first director of the space science department at the Rutherton Appleton Laboratory.

First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones, said: ‘The appointment of Professor Harries as our Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales will ensure that we build on an impressive track record of achievement, and develop a more effective promotion of science and technology within the wider knowledge economy arena.’

The role of first chief scientific advisor encompasses the promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as the role of science within the wider economy.

Professor Harries will provide scientific advice to the government, provide a focus for good practice, and enhance and encourage scientists and engineers in Wales in his role as head of profession.

He is delighted to take up the position, and commented that it incorporates two of his ‘greatest passions – science and Wales’.

Wales is a small country, but is capable of the intelligent application of new science and engineering as a basis for greater commercial success in industry.

Professor John Harries Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales

www.wales.gov.uk

Royal recognition for Welsh businesses

welsh innovation and commercial success has been rewarded in the annual Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

Two South Wales-based firms, Sandvik Osprey and Penn Pharmaceutical Services, received awards for international trade.

Sandvik Osprey, which develops and manufactures fine metal powders and controlled expansion alloy products, exports over 90% of its output to more

than 30 countries, and has experienced a 50% growth in the past six years.

Penn Pharmaceutical Services provides drug manufacturing services and pharmaceutical development from trials through to supply, and offers non-EU clients a portal into Europe for the importation and distribution of their clinical trial and commercial material.

Testing services company Concateno, based in Cardiff, received an award for

innovation. Its chief executive, Fiona Begley, declared that the company was ‘delighted and proud’ to have won the award.

The awards are given by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and an advisory committee of industry leaders and government representatives.

www.queensawards.com

advances wales4

news

Further ‘green jobs’ for Walesan £8.3m investment in low-carbon technologies in Wales is set to create 150 new jobs.

Cardiff University has begun the Seren Project, a pioneering research project focusing on generating energy from burning coal underground.

Leading the project, Professor Hywel Thomas of the School of Engineering explained that this research will help to create a coal gasification industry and a carbon storage industry in Wales that will support new jobs and businesses.

Supported by the Welsh Assembly Government and the British Geological Survey, the project will also investigate ways to store carbon that will cut greenhouse emissions and fuel costs.

It will create around 150 ‘green jobs’, and will assist companies in developing new products and technology.

The research and technologies of the Seren Project will be showcased worldwide, helping to promote Welsh companies internationally.

Helping businesses to commercialise research to develop the next generation of low-carbon technologies is vital to position Wales as a world leader in this area and help meet our energy targets.

Ieuan Wyn Jones Deputy First Minister for Wales

www.cardiff.ac.uk

Grant for state-of-the-art computers

a group of physicists at Swansea University has received a significant grant to allow it access to state-of-the-art equipment.

The Swansea Lattice Field Theory Group has received a £1.2m grant from the Science and Technology Facilities Council to fund access to high-performance computers.

The group has been part of the UK Quantum Chromodynamics Collaboration (UKQCD) since 1993, which has received an overall award of £7.3m to continue its research.

Professor Simon Hands of the group said: ‘UKQCD has been a world-leading collaboration of scientists studying such questions since 1990, and has consistently enjoyed access to some of the world’s most powerful computers during this time. Swansea became a member in 1993 and now has one of the largest and best lattice field theory groups in the UK.’

The collaboration uses powerful computers to study quantum chromodynamics – the fundamental theory of the interactions between particles called quarks and gluons – to understand the structure and stability of protons and neutrons.

The computers also facilitate the analysis and interpretation of particle collision experiments such as the famous Large Hadron Collider experiment at CERN.

Access to these computers will allow Swansea physicists to continue in their specialist subject of determining the behaviour and properties of matter at extremes of temperature and density.

www.swan.ac.uk

Sharing oncology expertiseuk trade and investment lyon recently held a Franco-British Business Exchange for UK and French companies working in oncology drug discovery and development.

Organised to promote UK excellence and foster partnerships and business

deals in oncology therapies, it included sector, company and academic presentations and high-level networking.

Held in the prestigious setting of the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, more than 130 business-to-business meetings were organised.

One of the companies involved was South Wales-based Penn Pharmaceutical Services. Rob Jones from this company said: ‘The event was well organised and participating added value to our company’s activities.’

www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk


news

Significant investment in hydrogen energy

the university of glamorgan has strengthened its position as a leader in hydroden energy research with the announcement of two funding awards totalling £6.6m.

£6.3m has been awarded by the Welsh Assembly Government to a project entitled CymruH2Wales, which builds on the university’s expertise and previous investment in the field of hydrogen energy to develop new processes, products and services. The funding will enable the university to progress research in a number of key areas including hydrogen production from renewable energy, hydrogen combustion engines and fuel cells for use in clean vehicles and development of novel co-products.

The University of Glamorgan will lead the project, engaging partners from industry and other universities, including Swansea and Bangor.

Professor Alan Guwy, who is leading the project, said: ‘CymruH2Wales addresses many of the critical aspects in the development of hydrogen and fuel cells as vital emerging energy technologies and aims to establish Welsh jobs in this important new energy industry.

‘The project will involve researchers from the faculties of health, sport and science, and advanced technology, will employ 20 new research staff over the next three years and aims to create 63 permanent jobs in hydrogen energy.’

The money will be used to build a new hydrogen, natural gas and biomethane

vehicle refuelling facility at Glamorgan University’s Pontypridd campus as well as further developing the existing alternative refuelling facilities at its Hydrogen Centre in Baglan.

The university has also been awarded £630,000 to develop its research into biological fuel cells.

The fund is part of a £3.3m four-year grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to the SUPERGEN programme, a flagship initiative to help the UK meet its emission targets through a radical improvement in sustainable power generation and supply. Glamorgan is one of eight UK universities involved in the project.

The work at Glamorgan’s Sustainable Environment Research Centre is looking at how microbial fuel cells can be made to simultaneously treat wastes such as sewage, and generate electricity.

Dr Giuliano Premier, an engineer in the Faculty of Advanced Technology, who leads the university’s work on SUPERGEN, said: ‘This is excellent news for all involved in the project. Over the past four years our research has led to a better understanding of how biological fuel cells could be scaled up. This further funding will enable us to investigate the optimisation of microbial biological fuel cells, through an increased understanding of natural processes and how they may be encouraged and enhanced.’

http://serc.research.glam.ac.uk

National Science Academy for Walesa national science academy is to be established in Wales to ensure that graduates leave higher education with the appropriate qualifications and skills.

A total of £2m has been granted by the Welsh Assembly Government to promote the take-up of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Deputy Minister for Science,

Innovation and Skills, Lesley Griffiths, said the facility would build on a number of existing STEM initiatives to improve the workflow of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians into the Welsh workforce.

She added: ‘The importance of innovation and the role it can play in helping economic growth should not be underestimated. The National Science

Academy will have a key role to play in ensuring that we have the appropriate skills at the appropriate level to support the development of a vibrant and sustainable knowledge-based economy.’

The strategic direction of the academy will be provided by Professor John Harries, recently announced as Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales (see p. 3).

www.wales.gov.uk

advances wales6

news

Cardiff-discovered shingles drug enters crucial phasea drug discovered at Cardiff University has progressed to the final stages of commercial development.

FV-100 is set to relieve the symptoms of thousands of shingles sufferers if it proceeds through the third and final phase of clinical trials.

The drug has been developed under the direction of Professor Chris McGuigan of the Welsh School of Pharmacy, in conjunction with a virology group at the Rega Institute, Belgium, and US biopharmaceutical company Inhibitex Inc.

Professor McGuigan said: ‘We are now entering the final and most crucial stage in the journey from the discovery of a new drug to the market.’

He added ‘We believe this drug has the potential to be the most powerful inhibitor ever discovered to treat shingles.’

If approval to proceed into the final phase of testing is given, FV-100 could be on the shelves within three years and would be the first drug discovered in Cardiff University to make it to the marketplace.

Early testing has indicated that FV-100 can greatly reduce the symptoms of the shingles virus, which include skin lesions, blisters and acute pain, and is up to 10,000 times more potent against the virus than existing treatments.

Shingles is caused by the same viral infection that causes chicken pox. It is estimated that one in five people in the USA, Europe and Japan will be affected by the condition during their lifetime.

We are incredibly excited at the prospect of FV-100 becoming commercially available in the future, and potentially being the first drug discovered in Cardiff University to make it to the marketplace.

Professor Chris McGuigan Cardiff University

The Welsh School of Pharmacy, in collaboration with Inhibitex, is also working on a new investigational drug. The first clinical trials have recently begun on INX-189, which is being developed to treat infections caused by hepatitis C virus.

INX-189 is the first Cardiff example of the ‘Pro-Tide’ concept to be tested in humans, whereby a nucleoside drug molecule active against specific viruses or cancer types can be enhanced through phosphorylation, with subsequent masking of the phosphate group to ensure penetration through the cell wall.

www.cardiff.ac.uk/phrmy

Welsh spin-out becomes world leadera south wales-based medical spin-out venture which has developed products using maggots to clean wounds has become a world leader in its field after acquiring a German rival.

A manufacturer of larval therapy products, ZooBiotic (featured in Advances Wales issue 53) has acquired German company BioMonde for an undisclosed sum.

The deal secures ZooBiotic’s position as a dominant larval therapy player in the European wound healing market.

ZooBiotic chief executive, Gareth Kempson, said: ‘The acquisition consolidates our global intellectual property position and will provide us with the financial strength to complete our European market development. In time, this will enable ZooBiotic to build a firm

foundation for our drive into the North American market.’

Established in 2005, ZooBiotic specialises in the development, manufacture and use of larval therapy products used to support the treatment of chronic infected and necrotic wounds through effective debridement.

www.zoobiotic.co.uk


news

Welsh academics address challenges in health care and climate change

two significant collaborations bringing together Welsh universities for the benefit of industry have recently been established.

The new Health Modelling Centre Cymru (hmc2) is a new initiative developed by the Wales Institute of Mathematical and Computational Sciences (WIMCS), a joint collaboration between Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, Glamorgan and Swansea universities.

It has been designed to build on Wales’ expertise in mathematical and computational modelling, and to help support the medical research community, NHS Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government to deliver more effective health care services.

Professor Terry Lyons, Director of WIMCS, said: ‘The increasing

sophistication of medical understanding leads to a growing opportunity and even a requirement to use novel mathematics to deliver high-quality outcomes.

‘Sophisticated imaging to detect cancer, modelling to inform policy decisions and avoid waste, understanding the flow of blood, modelling the biochemical pathways of disease, and even detecting from remote sensors if a vulnerable individual is in need of help while avoiding false alarms, all require and can benefit from current mathematical research and high-quality mathematical and modelling expertise.’

He added: ‘This centre will contribute to keeping Wales at the cutting edge in health research and provision.’

In addition, the Climate Change

Consortium of Wales (C3W) was officially launched at the end of March.

Involving the universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea, it is set to considerably enhance the climate science profile of Wales.

The consortium has been developed by a group of internationally respected academics in collaboration with staff in a wide range of disciplines across the four universities. These disciplines cover the impact of climate change on land, sea, atmosphere and cryosphere, as well as its social consequences.

It aims to reconfigure climate research in Wales as a recognisable centre of excellence on the world stage.

www.hmc2.orghttp://ralph.swan.ac.uk/cccw

Institute of Life Science gains first affiliateswansea university’s institute of life sciences (ils) has signed up its first affiliate.

Mid Wales-based Kuecept, a drug delivery company that provides specialist screening and formulation services to facilitate the development of poorly soluble and challenging pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical actives, is the first company to sign up to the ILS Affiliate Scheme.

The Affiliate Scheme aims to encourage life science and health care companies to access state-of-the-art facilities and expertise, and was officially launched at the BioWales conference earlier this year.

Benefits offered include a hot-desk facility in the ILS; access to laboratories and specialist facilities (including Swansea University’s new Centre for NanoHealth), equipment, and academic and business expertise; and the use of meeting and conference facilities. It is open to all companies involved in life sciences and health care, with the emphasis on potential high-growth organisations wishing to establish a foothold in South Wales.

Life sciences are recognised as a forerunner for technological transfer, and the ILS Affiliate Scheme offers Wales the potential of creating significant economic wealth.

Founded in 2007, the ILS focuses on building long-term commercial–academic links and making first-class academic progress.

The Affiliate Scheme is ideal for Kuecept. We’re now working on joint research collaborations with leading academics. Just being in the building gives us a better understanding of what’s on offer.

Bryn Williams Executive Chairman and Chief

Executive Officer, Kuecept

www.swan.ac.uk

advances wales8

news

A forensic science simulator where crime scenes can be ‘mocked up’ was recently opened by Wales’ best-known forensic pathologist, Professor Bernard Knight.

Professor Knight said Wales could lead the way in training the next generation of scenes of crime officers.

The simulator at the University of Glamorgan, which resembles an ordinary house, allows students to recreate complex forensic scenarios. It has been named the Bernard Knight Scene of Crime building.

Professor Knight said: ‘Jurors expect more categorical proof than science will allow for, and criminals are better prepared than ever before. That’s why facilities like this are so vital in furthering the science and enabling the next generation of forensic examiners to stay that crucial step ahead of the bad guys.’

Currently, the University of Glamorgan’s scene of crime degree is the only course of its kind in Wales to be accredited by the Forensic Science Society.

www.glam.ac.uk

Cardiff University Innovation Awards

Recognition for successful innovative collaborations

two innovative projects, in the fields of engineering and medical research, have been recognised by this year’s Cardiff University Innovation Awards.

The innovation awards are designed to recognise the successful collaborations forged between the university and industry.

The 2010 Innovation Prize went to a collaboration between Cardiff University’s School of Engineering and steelmaker Corus, part of the Tata steel group.

The project created a Centre of Excellence in Energy Optimisation, By-Product and Waste Management with the objective of exploring more energy-efficient and materials-efficient technology, both of which contribute to the business’s competitiveness and environmental care.

Professor Tony Griffiths, who led the collaboration, said: ‘This project is an excellent example of how university knowledge and expertise can help a vital part of the Welsh economy and a key employer share knowledge and meet industry challenges.

‘In particular, the project is helping the company address some of the longstanding steel industry problems

– especially the unwanted waste product of zinc in recycling of steel.’

The 2010 Innovation Award went to a collaboration between Cardiff School of Biosciences and Q Chip, a university spin-out company which specialises in innovative drug delivery methods.

Led by Dr Kelly BéruBé, the ‘micro-lung’ project has developed a novel three-dimensional growth system for the culture of lung cells. The new method is designed to mimic human tissue and will offer an alternative solution to animal testing and further insight into lung disease mechanisms.

Dr BéruBé said: ‘This research, working alongside Q Chip, has enabled us to develop a novel method of growing cells to help generate environments that more closely resemble those experienced in the body, so we can generate conditions that correlate with the results we would expect to see in humans.’

Dr Daniel Palmer, head of R&D at Q Chip, said: ‘Combining Q Chip’s novel microchemistry platform with Dr BéruBé’s lung disease model, this collaborative project aims to produce cell-specific growth supports, which enable human

tissue-like constructs for investigating disease and regeneration.’

Also recognised was the development of a novel ‘virtual patient’ ultrasound simulator for Cardiff spin-out company MedaPhor. The joint project, led by Mr Nazar Amso from the university’s School of Medicine with Professor Nick Avis from its School of Computer Science and Informatics, has developed groundbreaking new equipment to train students in sonography.

Cardiff University’s Innovation Awards, now in their 11th year, are an opportunity to celebrate the links and successful collaborations forged between the university and industry. This year’s winners are yet again examples of the work that the university is doing to help support Welsh industry and develop new and innovative business solutions.

Dr David Grant Vice Chancellor, Cardiff University

www.innovation-network.org.uk


news

At a glance…Professor Kelvin Donne, the Dean of Swansea Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Applied Design and Engineering, has become the first recipient of a University of Wales-sponsored Alliance Research Chair, which will further enhance the university’s work with industries across Wales. The primary goal of the University of Wales Alliance is to develop new strategic initiatives that will contribute to the economic, social, cultural and intellectual well-being of Wales.

North Wales-based Refgas has won Project of the Year at the Rosenblatt New Energy Awards. The awards are a key event in the renewable energy sector. Refgas has designed an innovative biomass gasification system to generate heat and power from waste on a moderate scale, with up to 80% efficiency. Four other companies based in Wales were also shortlisted across the award categories: Enfis, Neem Biotech, Dulas and Dyesol.

Cardiff’s School of Biosciences has awarded its first Martin Evans/Robert Huber Research Fellowship to Dr Mark Young. The fellowship aims to assist academics making the challenging transition from postgraduate study to leading a team of their own. It is named after the University President Professor Sir Martin Evans, winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine, and Professor Robert Huber, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Dr Young will use the fellowship to help develop his research into the structure of membrane proteins, and in doing so will make use of the crystallography laboratory run by the Schools of Biosciences and Chemistry.

Wrexham Mineral Cables – the only company in the UK making specialist electrical cables capable of withstanding temperatures of more than 1,000°C – has signed an export deal to the Middle East. It is shipping out two 40-foot containers full of high-performance cables for use in a mutli-million pound upgrade of the electricity distribution infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates. It is the company’s first major export to the region and the £250,000 order is the first of four run-on contracts they hope to secure over the next 12 months, worth £1m in total.

A £5m investment from the Welsh Assembly Government has consolidated the establishment of the Research Institute of Visual Computing (RIVIC). RIVIC links the academic expertise between computer science departments in Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea universities, and is the first ‘One Wales’ institute designed to bring together the core academic

scientists in visual computing to advance development in areas including computer graphics, virtual environments, geometric computing and visual computing. It is hoped that the techniques developed will be used in science, engineering, arts and humanities, medicine and industry.

The Welsh Opto-electronics Forum (WOF) was one of 15 finalists awarded Regional Cluster Marks, a top business accolade established to give recognition to the best of Britain’s manufacturing clusters and their contribution to the country’s economic growth. The judges were searching for examples of entrepreneurial activity, collaborations and partnerships, access to a skilled workforce and strong educational base, international links and profile. WOF received special mention and acknowledgement as an example of best practice.

The Sustainable Building Envelope Centre (SBEC) is developing new technologies that can use the roofs and walls of buildings to generate low-carbon energy. SBEC will use photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies to test and monitor new integrated heating, energy and ventilation systems on the fabric of buildings. SBEC is one of the research projects to emerge from the Low Carbon Research Institute (LCRI), which unites the expertise of the universities of Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Bangor, Glamorgan and Swansea to coordinate research, technology development and transfer, as well as internationally promoting Welsh sustainable low-carbon energy technology.

Drug manufacturing-to-distribution company Bilcare Global Clinical Supplies has opened a new facility in Powys, Mid Wales. It has invested £650,000 in its new facility, to double the company’s European capacity to package, store and distribute clinical supplies in ambient, refrigerated and frozen conditions. The company specialises in making, packaging and distributing drugs for pharmaceutical clinical trials worldwide.

Professor Alun Davies of the School of Biosciences and Professor Nick Craddock of the School of Medicine at Cardiff University have been elected Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences, one of the leading honours in medical science. Professor Davies’ work focuses on the developing nervous system at the cellular and molecular level while Professor Craddock’s work focuses on the genetics of mood and psychotic disorders.

advances wales10

special feature: Geneva 2010

Wales goes to GenevaA number of novel products helped Wales to its best year yet at the biggest invention showcase in Europe

At Geneva we demonstrated how enterprising, bright ideas can be turned into real commercial propositions.

Peter Francombe Product Commercialisation Manager,

Welsh Assembly Government

Innovation in Wales has been proven once again to be among the best in the world. In April, a delegation of Welsh inventors

took their products to the biggest showcase of inventions in Europe, the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, Switzerland. The exhibition this year attracted 1,000 innovations from all over the world and around 70,000 visitors including industrialists, distributors and business people looking for new products and inventions to market.

A total of 14 new products – ranging from practical shopping solutions to sports equipment – represented Wales at Geneva, eight of which were accompanied by their developers. Every invention from Wales won a medal – a tally of six gold, five silver and three bronze medals.

The inventors from Wales not only beat off stiff competition from independent inventors, companies and research institutes and universities, but also notched up sales and signed distribu-tion or licensing deals in talks with interested parties.

Peter Francombe, Product Commercialisation Manager at the Welsh Assembly Government, who led the Welsh delegation,

says it proves that Wales has a healthy environment for ideas and innova-tion. ‘We have such strong innovation and good ideas; even in this poor economic climate it just shows you how valuable ideas are. Real success, though, will be measured in sales – and on the strength of their Geneva showcasing, I’m predicting some very positive futures.’

The remarkable success at Geneva also demonstrates the inno-vation support available in Wales – helping to turn ideas into commercial successes. Business Innovation – Wales Innovators Network, which provides support to individuals wishing to innovate, played a key role in encouraging the innovators and showcasing the products at the exhibition.

Two top prizesTwo of the exhibition’s top prizes were also won by Welsh innovators.

SIRA (Sports Injury Rehabilitation Assistant), the first powered stretching machine of its kind, earned Robert Clarke and John Lockwood a gold medal in the medical equipment category. They were also awarded the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Gold Medal for Best Inventors – the first time in the award’s 15-year history that it has been won by the UK. Essentially, the Welsh developers of SIRA have been named the world’s best inventors of 2010. At the exhibition, they took orders for eight units and secured distributors, and they are now in talks with distributors representing most European countries as well as the USA and South America.

The Yoke Shopper, which won the gold medal in its category, was the judges’ choice for Industrial Design of the Year. It is a simple device that enables shoppers to carry numerous carrier bags while remaining hands-free. Its inventor, Matt Davies, is now in discussions with retailers and distributors from France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, India, Korea, Austria, Germany, Brazil, Israel and the USA. ■ ■ ■

ProfileProduct Showcasing Welsh innovation

Applications Bringing ideas to commercialisation

Contact Peter Francombe, Product Commercialisation Manager, Welsh Assembly Government, Plas Glyndŵr, Kingsway, Cardiff CF10 3AH, UK Tel +44 (0)29 2036 8235 Email [email protected] Web www.fs4b.wales.gov.uk


special feature: Geneva 2010

The winnersEvery innovation from Wales won a medal

Gold SIRA (Sports Injury Rehabilitation Assistant), Yoke Shopper, T-Box, Zerochromat, Memseal, Cadarn Talon

Silver Cook-A-Long, Laptek, Tourniquet Torch, Litter Gripper, Soccer Trolley

Bronze Bra Angel, Sent & Meant, Decorad

Case study: SIRA

The Sports Injury Rehabilitation Assistant (SIRA) is the first powered stretching machine of its kind in the world. It delivers consistent, balanced, precise and measured stretching, putting a precise numerical value on flexibility at peak stretch – a revolu-tionary concept in fitness and injury rehabilitation.

SIRA delivers consistent and balanced stretches, helping to decrease the risk of injuries due to underconditioning. SIRA is fully user-controlled, allowing users to relax and let SIRA guide them through their stretches.

It is aimed at helping sportsmen and -women recover from injury and can also be used for medical physiotherapy.

Sportfit was established by John Lockwood and fitness coach Robert Clarke in Swansea, South Wales. Combining John’s entrepreneurial expertise with Robert’s unique stretching technique, John was able to design

a machine capable of consistent, balanced, safe and measured stretching.

Every time SIRA is used it generates and stores a report which allows users to measure and track their flexibility. In a professional environment SIRA allows trainers, physio therapists and coaches to better manage the time and resources spent during the rehabilitation and conditioning of an athlete, providing a benchmark measurement.

The exhibition at Geneva was a tremendous springboard for the company and generated a lot of interest from potential distributors. The weeks following the show have been a haze of emails and phone calls. We are now in talks with several distributors and two potential licensees. The Welsh Assembly Government has provided access to funding and a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Without this, we would have missed this opportunity and would not have had the chance to win these prestigious awards, which have given SIRA real credence and credibility throughout the world.

John Lockwood

www.sportfit.co.uk

Case study: Zerochromat

Zerochromat, a new type of telescope developed by Peter Wise (of Abergele in North Wales), won a gold medal at the Geneva exhibition.

Chromatic aberration is a common problem in optics: distortion, manifesting itself as ‘fuzzy’ colour because the lens has failed to focus all colours to the same convergence point.

The use of exotic modern glass and aspheric optical surfaces has given rise to true apochromats, able to meet the critical demands of just about any visual and astroimaging application. The contemporary research-grade refractor is therefore a special-ised and highly sought-after instrument, but one that has been prohibitively expensive in large apertures.

Zerochromat, however, is a remarkable, lightweight, ultra-high-performance telescope which almost eliminates chromatic

aberration, using inexpensive, commonly available glass types yet retaining a large aperture.

The patented corrector lens assembly reduces chromatic aberration to vanishingly small levels before reaching final focus, delivering the truly diffraction-limited performance that only an unobstructed optical system can provide.

Geneva was a very useful event for us, and gave us the opportunity to demonstrate the performance of this remark-able instrument to many hundreds of people. A gold award was the icing on the cake, and it will be used as a marketing tool to help promote Zerochromat when it becomes available in the market place, hopefully towards the end of this year.

Peter Wise

www.zerochromat.com

advances wales12

biotechnology

Fermenting new ideas for the pharmaceutical industryAber Instruments in Mid Wales has developed a disposable sensor probe as a method of monitoring cell culture in the drug development process

We have a large R&D team working on next-generation products which are a very high priority for us. The disposable bioreactor market is a young but growing area, and we are in pole position to take advantage of this opportunity with our new products.

Barry Wise Managing Director,

Aber Instruments Ltd

The fermentation process for develop-ing new drugs has traditionally been

carried out in vessels made from glass or stainless steel, which are sterilised and re-used. But now, to ensure that conditions are 100% sterile, there is a shift towards using disposable fermentors.

Aber Instruments Ltd, based in Aberystwyth, Mid Wales, invented and developed sophisticated on-line monitor-ing equipment for measuring live cell concentration, which has traditionally been used by major pharmaceutical com-panies and breweries. The company has led the development of radiofrequency

biomass measurement techniques for over 20 years, continually improving the electronics, software and materials used.

Biomass MonitorIts latest development, the Futura Biomass Monitor, has been created to play a key role in aiding pharmaceutical companies worldwide to develop new drugs under the most stringent sterile conditions.

The product, a compact, cost-effective on-line instrument for use on bioreactors, helps to reduce risk and maximise produc-tivity of drugs being manufactured in the

bio-pharmaceutical sector. It measures the live cell concentration by radiofrequency impedance and is suitable for animal, yeast, fungal, plant and bacterial cell types in suspension or attached to carriers. Futura can be provided with biomass probes that can be re-used and steam sterilised in situ, but the addition of a range of single-use disposable sensors has opened up many more opportunities.

It is currently being trialled by clients

A bank of Futura biomass probes


biotechnology

in both animal and plant cell culture and has been extremely well received by com-panies that make disposable fermentors as well as end users, and it is due to go into cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production applications very soon.

Using radiofrequency technologyCells with intact plasma membranes in a fermenter can be considered to act as

tiny capacitors under the influence of an alternating electric field in the radio-frequency range. The non-conducting nature of the plasma membrane allows a build-up of charge.

This resulting build-up (or capacitance) can be measured: it is dependent upon the cell type and is directly proportional to the membrane-bound volume of these viable cells. The system is responsive to viable cells and is insensitive to cells with leaky membranes, gas bubbles and cell debris. Unlike conventional optical measurement techniques, it is not prone to fouling, and it can also monitor very high biomass concentrations and operate in a wide range of complex culture media.

The basis of this technology has also been incorporated into other products, including a yeast monitor.

Yeast MonitorAber Instrument’s Compact Yeast Monitor detects the amount of yeast present to help control and optimise the fermentation process.

It allows brewers to automatically dose the correct amount of live yeast into each fermenter and to have more consistent fermentation processes. The instrument is also used in biofuel processes, in which it can detect the growth profile of live yeast used to produce bio-ethanol and, in some cases, the instrument can follow the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass used in second-generation biofuel plants.

Aber Instruments has shown how one technology can have varied applica-tions, demonstrating true flexibility in innovation. ■

ProfileProduct Futura Biomass Monitor

Applications Measuring live cell concentration for monitoring cell culture and fermentation

Contact Dr John Carvell, Aber Instruments Ltd, Science Park, Aberystwyth SY23 3AH, UK Tel +44 (0)1970 636300 Email [email protected] Web www.aberinstruments.com


Aber Instruments’ disposable biomass probe for use on large single-use bioreactors (patent pending)

advances wales14

engineering

Transforming power magnetics researchResearchers at Cardiff University are investigating how to increase efficiency in magnetics by using certain types of steel to reduce noise

ProfileProduct Magnetostriction research

Applications More efficient power magnetics

Contact Professor Tony Moses, Cardiff University, Queen’s Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK Tel +44 (0)29 2087 6854 Email [email protected] Web www.cardiff.ac.uk/engineering

For more information please circle 6402 on on the reader reply card

Magnetics technology impacts on almost all sectors of industry and

society. The branch of magnetics associ-ated with electrical power generation, conversion, distribution and utilisation is referred to as power magnetics.

Over the last 40 years, researchers in power magnetics in the School of Engineering at Cardiff University have made a significant contribution to global energy saving as the result of their advances in the characterisation and understanding of magnetic properties of electrical steel. This has helped reduce energy wastage in magnetic cores by around 30% during this period. However, over 5% of all electrical power continues to be wasted as heat in the grain-oriented electrical steels used in transformer cores. In the UK alone, magnetic core losses cost the nation more than £1,000 million each year – so there is an ongoing incentive to continue to improve the properties of the

steels and use them more effectively to further protect the environment.

The role of a transformerA transformer steps voltage up or down. Because transformers are normally out of sight and operate inconspicuously for years on end, their vital role as interconnectors in power systems is rarely appreciated outside the industry. As more renewable energy sources come on line, electricity distribution systems become more complex. Transformers will be needed in increasing numbers and their cores expected to operate safely and efficiently under extreme magnetising conditions not experienced previously. A challenge for steel producers and researchers alike is to develop ways of producing and using electrical steels to suit this changing market, otherwise the full benefits of renewable energy sources will not be realised.

SteelsAlthough often seen as traditional materials, electrical steels are metallurgi-cally sophisticated products with excellent magnetic properties developed during a complex sequence of strip rolling, heat treatment and coating.

The power magnetics team at Cardiff University is a long-established, inter-nationally leading source of associated research expertise in the field of energy and power magnetics, and collaborates with many associated companies. The team is engaged in a wide range of projects from fundamental studies of the influence of microstructure, mechanical stress and surface coatings on basic magnetic properties of electrical steels to investigations aimed at predicting the


engineering

magnetic performance and efficiency of full-size distribution transformers. Very specialised systems for magnetic domain observation, magnetic noise measurement and material characterisation under controlled magnetic and environmental conditions underpin this research.

As the technical demands on electrical steel and magnetic cores grow, it is not surprising that projects with direct indus-trial support of over £1.5m have been undertaken recently with a wide range of international sponsors and partners. For example, Cogent Power – the group’s leading industrial collaborator – sees the strategic importance of retaining a strong power magnetics research facility in Wales.

Excellent links exist with many other

steel producers and users throughout the world. The long-term partnership with ThyssenKrupp Electrical Steels in France and Germany at present focuses on obtaining a more complete understanding of design and assembly factors which determine the actual performance of electrical steels in commercial distribution transformer cores. As well as performance modelling, this involves the development of embedded sensors technology for determining localised magnetisation and losses in core laminations and studying their behaviour under normal and fault conditions.

Noise reductionAlthough the focus of research activities is energy efficiency, there is considerable concern about the noise emitted from transformer cores. The acoustic noise is mainly caused by a phenomenon known as magnetostriction, the intensity of which depends on complex relationships between the basic magnetic characteristics of the core steel and the way in which it is assembled in a transformer core.

Magnetostriction increases consider-ably in the presence of mechanical stress. A recent study by the team has thrown fresh light on the mechanisms controlling this harmful effect. They have confirmed that the increase in magnetostriction is far smaller in thin-gauge material because of differences in magnetic domain structures which they have been able to model. It is well known that double insulating coatings applied to the steel surface during manufacture create a beneficial tensile stress.

The new importance attached to the longstanding noise problem and new opportunity to use the group’s recent findings to overcome it has attracted three

major electrical steel manufacturers and eight European transformer manufactur-ers to take part in a fully industrially funded collaborative research project led (and mainly carried out) by the power magnetics team at Cardiff. Two PhD stu-dents have recently started on this project; one focusing on characterisation of the magnetostriction of specially selected electrical steels and the other on noise produced by a range of purpose-designed and assembled transformer cores. The goal of this research is to quantify factors which control acoustic noise and then help the industry implement the findings to produce next-generation low-noise power transformers.

It is believed that this magnetostriction research collaboration is the first time that competing producers and users of electri-cal steels have joined forces in such a consortium to meet a common challenge in recognition that it cannot be tackled alone. Partners are keen to learn from this experience and develop the relationship to place the power magnetics research-ers in a unique position to lead other pre-competitive research to tackle other magnetic challenges that the industry faces now and in the future. ■

A model has been produced which has established the unique role of each coating in reducing magnetostriction. This knowledge and understanding is being taken up by the industry in developing next-generation low-noise steels.

Professor Tony Moses Cardiff University

advances wales16

agriculture

Pest control – the natural wayAt Swansea University, one of the leading insect pest control teams in the UK has identified naturally occurring alternatives to chemical insecticides

Pests are a persistent problem for growers around the world, tackled

principally by the use of chemical insecticides. But, to comply with recent European government policy, the use of these chemicals must be reduced because of the damaging effect on both health and the environment. Furthermore, some pests have developed increasing resistance to insecticides, decreasing their efficiency.

The agricultural industry is in need of an effective biological control agent to help minimise environmental impact while maintaining optimum control.

A natural pesticideA team of researchers in the Department of Pure and Applied Ecology at Swansea University, led by Professor Tariq Butt, has been developing new approaches to insect pest control. They have

concentrated on controlling three pests: wireworm, a widespread pest of potatoes; black vine weevil, considered the most important hardy nursery stock pest, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the weight of insecticides used in hardy nursery stock production; and western flower thrip, which has the ability to develop rapid resistance to chemical pesticides.

Previous studies by the group identi-fied that Metarhizium anisopliae, an insect-pathogenic fungus, showed promise for development as a naturally occurring pesticide by working synergistically with chemical insecticides.

‘M. anisopliae is a widespread, soil-borne pathogen of insects which has been shown to be highly effective in controlling black vine weevil larvae in a range of crops, from strawberries to hardy nursery

stock, and controlling western flower thrips pupae in growing media,’ Professor Butt explains. ‘It occurs naturally throughout the world and has a wide host range. Although it infects several pests, it does not infect many beneficial insects such as honey bees and insect predators.’

However, more research was needed to make it a practical option for growers.

The latest findingsUsing bioassay and microscopy studies, the researchers aimed to develop a strain of M. anisopliae for the control of black vine weevil larvae and western flower thrip pupae in plant-growing media. The main objective of these trials was to dem-onstrate the robustness of M. anisopliae under commercial growers’ conditions.

They primarily investigated whether it can be used with low doses of insecticides as part of an integrated pest management programme. Their studies have shown that it could give excellent control when used with 1% and 10% recommended rates of imidacloprid and fipronil, respectively. As an additional benefit, such a programme could provide an opportunity to control insect pests at a significantly lower cost, as entomopatho-genic nematodes are very expensive.

An adult black vine weevil infected with Metarhizium anisopliae

Larva in Sedum; it has destroyed most of the root system


agriculture

Furthermore, with the government and environmental groups encouraging growers to use renewable materials such as bark instead of peat as growing mediums, it was also investigated how M. anisopliae works in a range of peat alternatives and low-peat mixes. Both black vine weevil and western flower thrips spend part of their life cycles in growing media, so there was potential to control both of them with compost treatments. ‘This should lead to better methods to evaluate the use of biological control agents with the growing media of the future,’ remarks Tariq.

Commercial benefitsThe team at Swansea is now focusing on developing the studies into useable methods and equipment for growers. With damage from black vine weevil alone costing the industry around £30m a year, the fungal pathogen M. anisopliae offers a highly cost-effective means of controlling both this pest and western flower thrips in ornamental crops. Looking more widely, black vine weevil often causes severe damage on a number of other horticultural crops such as strawberries and raspberries and these too might benefit from Metarhizium-based products.

Because M. anisopliae is compatible with the majority of existing pest control strategies and its efficacy is independ-ent of growing media, application method or plant type, it could easily be incorporated into existing cultural practices. For the majority of growers, it would be a preferred option to use it as a component of growing media (i.e. premixed) whereas others would like to apply it either as drench, through drip irrigation or pre-inoculation of plugs with concentrated inoculum. At present, M. anisopliae-based products are in use in several countries including the USA and Australia, but it is not approved for use in the UK. Swansea University, along with its industrial partners, is working to

register it for commercialisation in the UK. It is anticipated that M. anisopliae-based products would be available to UK growers soon after its registration.

Although this strain is already in use in other countries, used alone the fungus gives inconsistent results. The synergy of chemical and fungus that the team is investigating allows for better commercial value through more reliable, consistent results and reduced rates of chemical insecticide use.

The team is also working to develop strains not just for crop pest control but also for vectors of human and animal diseases, such as midges, ticks and mosquitoes. ■

Previous research has demonstrated that the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae can work together with reduced rates of chemical pesticides to control black vine weevil and other pests, and the fungus could therefore be used to reduce the input of conventional pesticides. The same fungus could also be used with reduced rates of entomopathogenic nematodes, providing the potential for a completely organic approach to controlling pests.

Professor Tariq Butt Swansea University

ProfileProduct Metarhizium anisopliae, a naturally occurring pesticide

Applications Reduction of chemical pesticide use

Contact Professor Tariq Butt, Department of Pure and Applied Ecology, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK Tel +44 (0)1792 295374 Email [email protected] Web www.swansea.ac.uk/metarhizium


An adult black vine weevil infected with Metarhizium anisopliae

advances wales18

earth sciences

Imaging undergroundReynolds International, based in North Wales, has developed a cost-effective seismic interpretation technique that applies large-scale oilfield methods to high-resolution overland and overwater engineering and environmental projects

The construction industry has been historically reluctant to use seismic processing and interpretation techniques because of the perceived high cost.

John Reynolds Managing Director, Reynolds International Ltd

Before a site is developed it must be surveyed to determine the ground conditions, and to look for remnants of previous

site occupations that could interfere with new construction work or that might represent valuable archaeological material.

The ‘default’ set of tools for site inves-tigations are geotechnical, for example drilling, trial-pitting and excavating, which all take discrete samples of the ground. Geophysical techniques may also be used, which remotely sense what is in the ground and result in two- or three-dimensional models of variations in geophysical parameters across a site, which can then be used to infer ground conditions.

One such geophysical technique is seismic reflection surveying, which is the main tool used by oil exploration companies to find and monitor oilfields.

Seismic surveying works by generating seismic energy (essentially low-frequency sound energy), which is reflected off interfaces in the ground. A seismic ‘shot’ is generated using anything from a controlled explosion from buried dynamite (on land) to the controlled collapse of an air bubble (under water). Continuous vibrating sources may also be used. The reflections are detected by receivers called geophones (on land) or hydrophones (over water). The time taken for reflec-tions to travel to the receiver is dependent on the velocity with which the seismic energy has travelled through the ground, which is dependent on the materials through which it passes (e.g. water, sediment, bedrock). The strength and polarity of a reflection depends on the relative velocities and densities of the

materials on either side of an interface, and thus reflection data can provide not only interface depths but also some indication of the geology. The aim of a seismic investigation is to identify, or ‘pick’, key reflection events and determine the geological

interfaces that caused them, in order to produce a 3D model of the subsurface geology in which both soil/rock types and interface depths are identified.

Seismic data are affected by ‘noise’, or unwanted signals coming from the gen-eral surroundings and from interference, and ‘multiple’ reflections from energy that has bounced back and forth more than once before reaching the receiver. Processing can remove the effects of some of this noise and improve the interpret-ability of the data. During processing and interpretation, the data must be carefully examined to determine which contain information about the ground itself and which are noise.

Higher-level reflection seismic process-ing and interpretation is easily justified for large-scale oil investigations when seismic data may be the primary source of information about a valuable hydrocar-bon reservoir. However, the construction

industry has been historically reluctant to use such techniques in shallow-site investigations because of the perceived high cost in terms of both time and money.

Reynolds International’s approachReynolds International Ltd (RIL), based in Mold, North Wales, is a geological and geophysical consultancy that has pioneered the use of oil-industry standard interpretation software for high-resolution near-surface engineering site investigations, both on land and over water.

This new approach has been developed by RIL personnel working on overwater projects for both Crossrail and the Thames Tideway Tunnels (London). Data are delivered to RIL by a geophysical contractor in an agreed industry-wide format, and then processed before being loaded into interpretative soft-ware, along with supplementary data such as borehole logs and map data provided by the client. RIL has developed a specific


earth sciences

and sophisticated workflow that uses the benefits of iterative data processing and interpretation coupled with borehole data to produce a level of interpretation not previously available for engineering and environmental investigations as cost-effectively or efficiently before.

This approach also helps to improve the effectiveness of the information provided by borehole data as well as by the geophysical survey, and therefore improves the overall cost-effec-tiveness of an investigation. Combining seismic data that have been processed to a high level with sophisticated interpretation software, in which geotechnical and map data can be directly included in the interpretation, results in geological models that are far more robust technically than would have been possible using the only standard interpretation methods. Use of RIL’s interpretation methodology provides enhanced levels of confi-dence in the results of seismic surveys and ensures that the total site investigation gives better value for money.

RIL’s approach is geared to providing clients with data that can be used in the client’s own software, so an essential part of RIL’s interpretation methodology is the provision of outputs in a wide range of formats. Products requested by clients often include x,y,z files of key geological interface depths, paper and pdf maps, geographic information system (GIS) shapefiles, computer-aided design (CAD) drawings and bespoke 3D visualisations.

RIL’s methods can be applied both to large construction sites and to small survey areas where high-definition detail is required for high-value engineering projects.

Case studyEarly versions of this process were used very successfully within a number of docks and narrow rivers in London’s Docklands for Crossrail Ltd (presented with the kind permission of Crossrail Ltd). Crossrail is a high-value, shallow engineering project to build new railway connections beneath London. Pre-construction investigations along the tunnel routes are challenging as the lines are routed under some of the most

urbanised areas of London. The only areas that are guaranteed not to be built-up are London’s historic docks and creeks. To gain maximum information about the complicated geology of London beneath these narrow, confined waterways, RIL has undertaken the specification, processing and interpretation of several complex, high-resolution over-water seismic surveys on behalf of Crossrail. Such investigations can provide significantly more information about the ground than boreholes alone.

In this example, overwater single-channel seismic data have been processed and interpreted by RIL using RIL’s innovative workflow. Borehole correlation was integrated into the reflector picking stage using digital borehole data loaded directly into the interpretation software, in order to identify not only reflector

depths but the geological interfaces that they represented. The resulting reflec-tor surfaces were converted to depth and exported from the interpretation software, then imported to RIL’s site GIS database. An example 3D GIS visualisa-tion showing the locations of seismic survey lines, borehole data and a geologi-cal interface is presented in the figure. An image of a typical seismic section has been projected into the visualisation to illustrate the picking and borehole correlation process. This illustration represents just one of many visualisation styles possible. ■

ProfileProduct High-resolution 3D seismic data analysis, visualisation and

correlation with borehole data

Applications Cost-effective, smaller-scale geophysical surveys using large-scale techniques

Contact Professor John M. Reynolds, Managing Director, Reynolds International Ltd, Unit 17, Mold Business Park, Wrexham Road, Mold CH7 1XP, UK Tel +44 (0)1352 756196 Email [email protected] Web www.reynolds-international.co.uk


advances wales20

electronics

A unique chemistry between disciplinesA company in North Wales is combining expertise in many disciplines to revolutionise the innovative printed electronics industry with its cutting-edge digital technology

It looks like something we would expect to see in a science fiction film: adver-

tisements that change themselves, as if by magic. But this has been made possible today by e-ink, or printed electronics to give it its proper name.

Printed electronics is a rapidly expanding industry which applies traditional printing methods to create electrically functional devices. It is used to create widespread and very low-cost, low-performance electronics useful for applications not typically associated with conventional high-performance (i.e. silicon-based) electronics, such as flexible displays, smart labels and animated posters.

Because it uses plastic – not traditionally considered an ‘electronic’ material – as its core material, it allows for radically different cost, performance and functionality. This opens up the possibility for new applications, and markets, such as e-readers, which require

low-power, sunlight-readable, flexible, large-area displays.

Functional electronic or optical inks are used to print active or passive devices, such as thin-film transistors or resistors. Industrial printing methods such as flexography are employed for this and several ink layers can be printed on top of each other to create thin-film and flexible electronics.

There are two distinct challenges facing the printed electronics industry today. Firstly, advances are required in the chemistry of the materials and, secondly, the printing processes themselves require much higher levels of precision and resolution.

Current printing techniques have a number of limitations. During inkjet printing, which involves small amounts of ink being secreted onto the substrate via print heads, the resolution created depends on the amount of ink deposited, and it is hard to prevent the ink from spreading. This results in low-resolution

printed electronics, which has a negative impact on the elec-tronic performance of the printed device, resulting in component failures. In addition, coating techniques in which the substrate is flood coated and then redundant areas removed via solvent

jetting, laser ablation or embossing are also low throughput, require high equip-ment costs and produce chemical wastage as the material is removed. Standard wet printing techniques such as flexography involve contact, relief printing and are capable of very high speeds but are also subject to inconsistent resolution owing to ‘halos’ of ink forming around the image created.

Many organisations are trying to tackle the above problems. Advances in organic and polymeric chemistry are expected over the next few years as well as new adaptations to common printing processes.

SmartKem, based in St Asaph, North Wales, is an exciting, high-tech enterprise that is designing and developing novel organic (carbon-based) materials that can be customised by processes such as laser and solution printing to produce devices and circuits for the printable electronics industry. Backed by Finance Wales invest-ments, the company’s objective is to meet the market demand for high-resolution microelectronic components directly onto thin flexible materials.

By combining knowledge from the chemistry, electronics, photonics and printing industries, SmartKem is developing an inexpensive, miniaturised electronics solution to print on flexibles such as plastics and paper. The company has developed a new technique that could potentially replace the standard printing processes used in this industry.

Our key objective is to respond to the demand for low-cost, low-weight, low-energy and miniaturised electronics. Our novel processes and smart chemistry will enable electronics manufacturers to finally make the transition from rigid silicon fabrication to printed electronics.

Steve Kelly Founder, SmartKem Ltd


electronics

ProfileProduct Technique for printing electronics

Applications Flexible electronics: displays, labels, posters, e-paper, smart packaging

Contact Steve Kelly, Founder, SmartKem Ltd, OpTIC Technium®, Ffordd William Morgan, St Asaph Business Park, St Asaph LL17 0JD, UK Tel +44 (0)1745 535190 Email [email protected] Web www.smartkem.com


Smart chemicalsSmartKem’s technique involves the manipulation of organic and inorganic materials using light to create conductive or semi-conductive microelectronics on multiple substrates including flexibles.

Carefully selected smart chemical formulations, such as organic semi-conductors, are solution-coated onto a surface of a substrate (e.g. plastic film, paper or glass) at room temperature. These materials can be patterned either by direct printing techniques or, for ultra-high resolution, by laser light.

In the case of laser processing, light moves quickly across the coated substrate and reacts with the smart chemistry, converting it into a functional electronic material such as a semiconductor.

SmartKem is currently developing demonstrators and prototypes with a focus on early applications for organic thin-film transistors used in electronic displays such as e-paper, liquid crystal displays and organic light-emitting diodes. Further application developments are expected in the field of low-cost organic sensors using the same technology platform, with longer-term opportunities expected in photovoltaics and integrated circuits.

Keeping it simpleSmartKem’s technique allows for a dramatic simplification of the electronics manufacturing processes.

The company’s strategy involves the development of specialised smart ‘inks’

and novel laser patterning processes. It aims to overcome the problems with both the materials and processes used for print-ing electronics, enabling higher-resolution electronics and higher-performance materials. For example, many of the smart inks being developed are directly activated by lasers and as a result are capable of producing extremely precise and high-resolution printed electronics. SmartKem technology is suited to many applications but the early focus is on the high-performance, high-value displays market. Other applications include print-able sensors, smart packaging, cards and textiles, documents and photovoltaics.

There are a number of benefits custom-ers can experience from using SmartKem’s printable electronics solutions. The SmartKem technology dramatically simplifies electronics manufacturing in a cost-effective and environmentally sensi-tive way attributed to the way in which the technology operates. The SmartKem technology eradicates a number of proc-esses traditionally associated with manu-facturing silicon electronics, resulting in significant cost savings. The SmartKem process also reduces the risk of errors

as it is non-contact, creating patterns in successive layers that are completely aligned with each other. The technology also offers improved organic semiconduc-tor performance and stability, essential attributes for the displays market. As the SmartKem technique is a digital process, it allows for on-demand micropatterning with the potential to produce devices in real time and at low cost.

It creates ultra-high-resolution and precision leading to improved perform-ance and miniaturisation of devices and circuits. To add to this, it allows for a major reduction in carbon and chemical impact compared with conventional electronics processing. It could be used in, for example, signs that need power only when the message changes.

It enables the production of flexible, foldable and (ultimately) disposable electronics. This new platform technology can be used to produce microelectronic devices such as organic transistors and sensors, and SmartKem intends to exploit market opportunities as diverse as ultra-thin displays, lightweight solar panels, electronic skin patches and integrated smart packaging. The company intends to raise further funding later this year to develop prototypes and commence market testing of its groundbreaking technology.

Next time you see an advertisement ‘magically’ changing, remember that this is the future of printed electronics, happening now – and a Welsh company is at the heart of it. ■

advances wales22

manufacturing

A real live wire in inkjet technologyA South Wales manufacturer is using ultraviolet and inkjet technology to mark wires for identification purposes in aircraft

An aircraft contains hundreds of miles of electrical wires, which need

to be easily identifiable at any point to facilitate the initial production of the wiring harness, as it is known, and its subsequent maintenance. Colour coding is impractical because of the large number of wires, so each wire is given a unique alphanumeric code, which is marked at regular intervals down its length. Previously, this marking was done by the hot stamp method – a glorified typewriter approach in which embossed characters are used to transfer ink from a foil on to the wire by stamping it under pressure into the surface of the wire insulation.

However, over time the thickness of wire insulation has been reduced to mini-mise the weight of the wire. This means that the insulation is now only 150 μm thick, about three times the diameter of a human hair, and is now too thin to safely accept hot stamp marking without the risk of the hot stamp penetrating the insulation and leaving it prone to a subsequent failure. In the worst case this may take the form of a catastrophic arc tracking event, in which the insulation explodes in a ball of flame and destroys

the wire system and puts the aircraft in danger.

Spectrum Technologies, based in Bridgend, South Wales, is a global leader in aerospace wire processing technology. The company pioneered the develop-ment and introduction of ultraviolet (UV) laser wire marking technology to meet the needs of the international aerospace industry. The process developed by Spectrum is used in the CAPRIS® wire markers that the company sells to aircraft manufacturers to apply permanent identity codes to non-stick polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, more commonly known as Teflon®) and similar wire insulations, as well as fibre optics, without causing damage.

The vast majority of wires that Spectrum’s customers need to mark are white. In the laser marking process, a UV laser beam changes the colour of the titanium dioxide pigment used to whiten the wire insulation by rearranging its crystalline structure on a microscopic scale. The rearrangement is permanent for all practical purposes. This gives the titanium dioxide, and thereby the insula-tion, a blackish colour, hence creating a coloured or marked wire surface.

The challenge: marking black wiresOne of Spectrum’s customers, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of military and commercial helicopters.

Sikorsky’s helicopters are used by all five branches of the US armed forces, along with military services and com-mercial operators in 40 nations. A large

proportion of the wire and cable used in their helicopters is black ‘filterline’ wire, which cannot be marked with a UV laser.

Spectrum had previously supplied Sikorsky with a white inkjet wire marker with UV cure to mark this type of wire, but this system was unique and was now 13 years old and in need of replacement.

Spectrum therefore had to develop a new inkjet system, incorporating the

We are now looking to roll out this technology across the aerospace industry and also into new markets such as locomotive and rolling stock and other sectors where there is a need to manufacture complex wiring harnesses and to identify wires individually.

Peter Dickinson Chief Executive Officer,

Spectrum Technologies plc

A NovaJet marked wire


manufacturing

ProfileProduct NovaJet ink-based marker

Applications Wire marking and processing for aircraft, locomotives and rolling stock, and other complex wiring systems

Contact Peter Dickinson, Chief Executive Officer, Spectrum Technologies plc, Western Avenue, Bridgend CF31 3RT, UK Tel +44 (0)1656 655437 Email [email protected] Web www.spectrumtech.com


latest inkjet and UV curing technology, and used its new Nova laser system as a platform. The solution had to focus on marking wires twice as fast as the previous system, and would include a stacker for wire collection instead of a coiling pan, to improve productivity. Funding from the Welsh Assembly Government aided this project.

‘We have developed NovaJet using the latest self-cleaning inkjet technol-ogy, which makes it much simpler to maintain than previous systems,’ says Peter Dickinson, chief executive officer of Spectrum. ‘Plus improved UV cure lamps to provide the required degree of mark permanence, which, combined with our latest Nova wire handling system and control technology, enables us to significantly increase the overall system performance and productivity. We have also incorporated the latest Nova wire handling automation technology to meet Sikorsky’s lean manufacturing goals, and this has been a key factor in enabling Sikorsky to increase their overall produc-tivity so rapidly.’

The new NovaJet systemSpectrum worked very closely with Sikorsky in developing the new system. Engineers from Spectrum visited the Sikorsky site in Connecticut to agree the main technical specifications of the project and obtain feedback on the old machine to allow further improvements to be made. The entire operation took nine months to complete, from initial samples to prove the inkjet process, to the creation of a concept design and machine, right through to the building of the finished product.

NovaJet is an automated system with an automatic wire select and loading system and includes a single white inkjet with UV lamps for curing the ink. The NovaJet system and stacker, accompanied by an 18-station de-reeler, was delivered and installed at the end of November. Sikorsky has been delighted with the performance of the new machine.

Vic Romano, production manager at Sikorsky’s electrical production centre in Stratford, Connecticut, commented: ‘Before we took delivery of the new NovaJet wire marker we had to run three full shifts per day on our old inkjet system to meet our production targets, and even then we had a backlog of 400 hours of work. In addition, we had to subcontract out 200 hours of work per month from the wire shop. The installation of the NovaJet in late November went quickly and smoothly. Since then we have been even more delighted with the system performance. The increased productivity from the system has enabled us to elimi-nate offload, third shift wire cutting and backlog. This improvement has happened within a two-month time frame.’

Spectrum Technologies has also been pleased with the success of its new system, in the wake of which it has received sub-sequent orders for two further NovaJets from key Sikorsky subcontractors – the first from Cherokee Nation Industries in Oklahoma and the second from Labinal at their plant in Corinth, Texas. These units are due to be shipped and installed very soon. ■

advances wales24

information technology

Interactive virtual environments technology for surgical proceduresBangor University has developed haptics and medical visualisation techniques to train staff in keyhole surgery using virtual patients

Interventional radiology uses minimal access techniques to treat a range of

conditions. Such procedures use medical imaging (most commonly ultrasound and fluoroscopy) to guide needles and other instruments.

Basic interventional radiology skills such as visceral needle puncture are acquired during an apprenticeship, but a trainee’s inexpert manipulations can increase the patient’s pain and discomfort.

The Visualization and Medical Graphics (VMG) group – part of the School of Computer Science – at Bangor University focuses its research on scientific

and information visualisation and medical visualisation.

In Advances Wales issue 54 we featured the group’s initial development of a surgical simulator. Since then, the group, led by Professor Nigel W. John, has played a major role in a multidisciplinary project with other UK partners – the development of the ImaGINe-S, an ultrasound image-guided needle puncture simulator, as part of the CRaIVE (Collaborators in Radiological Interventional Virtual Environments) consortium.

CRaIVE comprises clinicians, physicists, computer scientists, clinical engineers and psychologists, and aims to implement and validate sophisticated virtual environments designed for use in the training of radiological interventional procedures.


information technology

The ImaGINe-S simulator uses haptics – technology based on the sense of touch (similar to that starting to be used in computer games) – to recreate the feeling of guiding a surgical needle into the body.

Professor Nigel W. John Bangor University

Needle puncture simulatorImaGINe-S, which has been validated in hospitals, has been designed following a comprehensive task analysis of needle puncture procedures. A stereoscopic pro-jection of the virtual patient is co-located with haptic feedback devices to provide a high-fidelity simulation.

The VMG group at Bangor was responsible for building the virtual envi-ronment and the interaction with haptics devices, and the real-time simulation of ultrasound and fluoroscopy images.

The simulator uses two Sensable Technologies Omni haptic force feedback devices, both housed within a virtual workbench system – one which acts as an ultrasound transducer and the other which acts as the needle.

As the trainee moves the Omni that is used as the ultrasound transducer over the skin of the virtual patient, an ultrasound-like image corresponding to the position and orientation of the image plane is computed and displayed in real time. The force of the probe against the skin can be felt by the operator. Similarly, the sensation of puncturing into the viscera with the virtual needle can be felt through the feedback provided by the second Omni. The force feedback delivered in virtual environment simulators is generally an approxima-tion to a real procedure, as assessed by experts. Haptics based on actual procedural forces should allow a more realistic simulation of the subtle cues.

The simulated ultrasound or fluoroscopy image is output to a second

monitor, not superimposed in a window within the 3D virtual environment. This represents the real situation where the radiologist looks away from the patient to focus on the image being displayed on the scanner.

Furthermore, the simulator also uses a respiratory kinematic model, recreating the effect of the diaphragm moving during exhalation. Also, in vitro studies of the forces obtained from needle insertion into tissues are being used to help create

a realistic haptics model, and patient-specific data are used. This all makes it unlike any other simula-tor available.

The simulator provides an immersive virtual environment that closely replicates the set-up of the real-life situation, and preliminary results have indicated its usefulness for training skills for nephrostomy procedures.

RecognitionImaGINe-S was awarded second place in the Eurographics 2009 Medical Prize for its innovative use of computer graphics in a complex system that is already far advanced towards clinical use.

This adds to the prestigious award that

the group received in 2006 – the Satava Award for accomplishments in the field of computer graphics and medical visualisa-tion. Each year the award is presented to an individual or group who demonstrate unique vision and commitment to the improvement of medicine with the use of advanced technology, and this is, so far, the only time a UK group has received this award. ■

ProfileProduct ImaGINe-S needle puncture simulator

Applications Training for interventional radiology procedures without pain, discomfort or risk

Contact Professor Nigel W. John, School of Computer Science, Bangor University, Dean Street, Bangor LL57 1UT, UK Tel +44 (0)1248 382686 Email [email protected] Web www.vmg.cs.bangor.ac.uk


advances wales26

communications

On the right track to finding missing equipmentCan’t find a wheelchair? Dectag, based in South Wales, has developed a more efficient way of tracking medical equipment

ProfileProduct Health care automatic identification tags

Applications Locating assets and equipment in health care settings

Contact Philip Leslie, Business Development Manager, Dectag Tracking Solutions Ltd, Units 29–31, Business Development Centre, Main Avenue, Treforest Industrial Estate, Pontypridd CF37 5UR, UK Tel +44 (0)845 230 2814 Email [email protected] Web www.dectag.com


These new tags are a direct reflection of our business vision, the solution evolved by listening to the customer needs and developing an answer to the specific challenges.

Philip Leslie Business Development Manager,

Dectag Tracking Solutions Ltd

Locating assets and equipment costs business and industry millions. A 2009 NHS report stated that nurses wasted

around a quarter of their time searching for vital medical items. Some of the key findings of the report are startling. For example, 36% of respondents said it can take up to two hours to locate items on an average shift; 87% of respondents said they spent up to one hour helping other wards to locate items; and respondents were searching for a wide variety of items, but most commonly medical devices and consumables such as dressings and medicines.

Traditionally, management of assets (such as infusion pumps, wheelchairs, beds) is a manual process or, in some cases, is not managed at all. Automatic identification of assets is achieved using tags that deliver data using barcodes, radiofrequency tech-nology or both. Radiofrequency identification (RFID) enables assets to be identified without line of sight or to identify multiple assets simultaneously.

Dectag Tracking Solutions Ltd is a manufacturer of automatic identification tags for different industries and sectors, with applications in health care, logistics supply chain and manufacturing. Its products can help to deliver visibility of vital items and assets in health care and can benefit businesses by reducing capital expenditure, enhancing asset utilisation and improving efficiency.

Reducing bacteriaDectag’s latest development is an auto-matic identification tag that incorporates antimicrobial technology. Unlike standard tag and labels, the technology in this tag reduces the levels of bacteria, such as MRSA, on the surface of products and provides an effective and continuous built-in antimicrobial protection for the

expected lifetime of the product. The core expertise at Dectag allows the technologies to be fused into durable tags that can be

individually designed for specific purposes.

Labels and tags are known to be an area where bacteria can grow. Continual replacement is costly and inefficient. This innovation will contribute towards a reduction in the risk of bacterial cross-contamination and consequential infection and illness, in addition to improving efficiency in the health care sector. Most vitally, this will help to improve patient care. ■

medicine

Advances Wales is a high-quality, quarterly ‘transfer of technology’ journal produced by the Welsh Assembly Government to showcase new developments in science, engineering and technology from Wales. Devoted to concise reports and commentary, it provides a broad overview of the current technology research and development scene in the Principality. Advances Wales raises the profi le of the technologies and expertise available from Wales in order to facilitate collaborative relationships between organisations and individuals interested in new technologies and innovation.

To receive free copies of Advances Wales or to change your mailing details please contact Advances Wales, Welsh Assembly Government, Plas Glyndŵr, Kingsway, Cardiff CF10 3AH, Wales, UK (tel +44 (0)29 2082 8735, fax +44 (0)29 2036 8229, email [email protected]).

Editorial board Dr David Bembo, Luc Brown, Dr Alastair Davies, Peter Francombe, Dr Peter Hodges, Marcia Jones, Jon Merrey, Alyson Smith, Nick Ward and Dr Gwion Williams. Commissioning Editor Alyson Smith. For information on how to contribute features contact the editor, Catriona Vernal (tel +44 (0)1738 450494, fax +44 (0)870 164 0124, email [email protected]).

Advances Wales is published on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government by Prepress Projects Ltd, Algo Business Centre, Glenearn Road, Perth PH2 0NJ Editor Catriona Vernal Lead Designer Leah Gourley Publisher Helen MacDonald. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Welsh Assembly Government or its employees. The Welsh Assembly Government is not responsible for third-party sources cited such as web sites or reports. ISSN 0968-7920. Printed in Wales by MWL Print Group, Pontypool. Crown Copyright.

advanceswales

advances wales

THE JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY IN WALES

After you read this issue’s special feature on how Wales performed at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, please stop and re� ect for a moment. Yes, it is excellent that every entry from Wales won a medal. And, yes, we should be pleased with ourselves. And, further still, it really proves that Wales can produce innovative world-class products.

Be inspired by this. What would it take for your company’s product or service to win a medal in Geneva? I’m not asking you to win a medal next year, only to consider what it might take in terms of innovation.

e prizewinners at Geneva are examples that you really can follow. Innovation is not for superheroes – it’s simply a frame of mind. ese businesses are no di� er-ent from yours – except that they believed they could innovate. You can too.

You see, remarkable developments are unfolding that show that Wales takes innovation very seriously, developments that will help enhance performance in future years. e � rst ever chief scientist for Wales has recently been appointed. Professor Harries is a world-class scientist, and his appointment is another indica-tor that achieving progress through science and technology is embedded in Welsh thinking.

Furthermore, we see that a national science academy is to be established in Wales to help ensure that graduates leave higher education appropriately prepared in terms of quali� cations and skills. And, based on the performance at Geneva, they can begin careers with Welsh companies already competing successfully at a world-class level.

It’s a safe bet to say that next year’s exhibition in Geneva will see another out-standing performance from Wales, and the one after that, and so on. Innovation in Wales is going from strength to strength. If you operate within the Welsh business community, be inspired and become part of that strong performance. Perhaps next year it will be you winning the medals at Geneva.

Catriona VernalEditor, Advances Wales

contents and editorial

COVER IMAGE SmartKem Ltd (p. 20) is using the expertise of many disciplines to develop printed electronics products.

PHOTOGRAPHY Sourced from organisations featured, their representatives and iStockphoto.

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2 27issue 64 ■ summer 2010

news 3

special featureWales goes to Geneva 10

biotechnologyFermenting new ideas for the

pharmaceutical industry 12

engineeringTransforming power magnetics research 14

agriculturePest control – the natural way 16

earth sciencesImaging underground 18

electronicsA unique chemistry between disciplines 20

manufacturingA real live wire in inkjet technology 22

information technologyInteractive virtual environments technology

for surgical procedures 24

communicationsOn the right track to fi nding missing

equipment 26

medicine‘Intelligent mattress’ prevents

pressure ulcers 27

‘Intelligent mattress’ prevents pressure ulcersBy enlisting academic expertise, a South Wales-based company has developed specialist technology to help prevent pressure ulcers

The Synidor system causes no discomfort and complements existing pressure relief regimes. Generally, the patient will be completely unaware of the monitoring process.

Frank EdwardsManaging Director, Synidor Ltd

ProfileProduct Movement sensing system

Applications Prevention of pressure ulcers

Contact Frank Edwards, Managing Director, Synidor Ltd, Institute of Life Science, School of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UKTel +44 (0)1792 602697Email [email protected] Web www.synidor.com


Unfortunately, a large number of people are

at risk of developing pressure ulcers at some time during their life. ey can be extremely painful and can rapidly develop into severe wounds that become progressively more di� cult to treat. ey also have an unhealthy impact on our care system: they are expensive to treat and can cause bed blocking.

Synidor Ltd, based in Swansea, South Wales, has developed an innovative bed monitoring system – an intelligent mattress cover that detects and warns of excessive periods of immobility by bed occupants that could cause the onset of pressure ulcers. It alerts the patient, nursing sta� or carer that a posture has been held for a period that puts at risk the health of the skin, enabling remedial action to be taken.

CollaborationSynidor’s monitoring system was developed by Frank Edwards, who subsequently sought expertise from Dr Michael Clark at the Welsh Wound Network to help him develop the product further. Frank also enlisted the help of PDR ( e National Centre for Product Design and Development Research) at the University of Wales Institute in Cardi� , and also Glamorgan University, for the pre-production of circuit boards and soft tooling for the casing. By combining their di� erent areas of expertise, the collaboration of Synidor and these Welsh universities has enabled the creation of an innovative product that could impact nationally on the health care system.

How it worksAn ‘intelligent’ mattress cover means that monitoring measurements can be made without having sensors either on or under

the patient. It is a disposable item which will not be a� ected by the normal day-to-day cleaning regime. When insu� cient movement is detected, visible and audible alarms are triggered, which can be programmed for the speci� c turning regime diagnosed for the patient.

Patient movements, however small, are monitored through the sensors (positioned on the side of the mattress) and passed to an electronic processor. If no patient movement is detected in a predetermined time, prescribed by the nurse or carer, the patient may be at risk of developing pressure ulcers and will require nursing intervention.

e electronics in the alarm unit continually process the data, timing the lack of movement from the last signi� cant signal if the lapsed time exceeds the set time for the turning regime.

Ultimately, the Synidor system empowers at-risk patients to become involved in their own preventative care while allowing hospitals or care homes to reduce the risk of patients developing pressure ulcers. ■

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Advances Wales is also available online at www.ibwales.com/business-support/advances-wales/ and www.enterpriseeuropewales.org.uk

Organisations featured in this issue

In the previous issue – Advances Wales 63

Advances Wales publishes news and features in the following sectors

Materials

Agriculture

Environment

Energy

Food

Engineering

Manufacturing

Earth sciences

Electronics

Communications

Information technology

Opto-electronics

Physics

Chemistry

Medicine

Biotechnology

THE JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY IN walesadvances

ISS

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64

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� e dawn of printed electronicsThe innovative Welsh company

that is pioneering products in this new, dynamic industry

A multi-layered approach to photovoltaic

energy 26

A new approach to preventing dementia 17

Annual MediWales Innovation Awards 5

A timely tribute to innovation in Wales 4

Biotechnology service awarded sought-after

certifi cate 4

Bloomin’ marvellous: could algae solve our

fuel problems? 12

Boost to Welsh creative media sector 6

Cardiff researchers have success down to a T 7

Course of true commercialisation runs very

smoothly 10

Energy management spin-out attracts high-

profi le leader 7

First Minister will open BioWales 2010 3

First recipient for innovation scholarship 5

HomeFill allows patients to breathe easy 18

Keeping in tune with the body 20

New energy industry training centre 5

New medical devices company 3

Power amplifi ers that go up to eleven 24

Professor Tim Claypole awarded MBE 8

Proteins are the key to improved TB

diagnosis 16

School of Biosciences gains world-class

leader 8

Siemens wins top award 4

The turbocharger that no longer lags behind 27

Through thick and thin 14

Transforming wound care 22

UK’s fi rst ‘hydrogen highway’ 6

Aber Instruments Ltd 12Bangor University 24Business Innovation – Wales

Innovators Network 10Cardiff University 14Dectag Tracking Solutions Ltd 26

Reynolds International Ltd 18SmartKem Ltd 20Spectrum Technologies plc 22Swansea University 16Synidor Ltd 27

� e best year yet for Wales at Geneva’s International Exhibition of Inventions 10

Natural alternatives to chemical insecticides 16

Inkjet and ultraviolet technology used to identify wires 22

advances summer 2010 · 2016. 5. 31. · pharmaceutical industry 12 engineering transforming power...

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