Thruvision is a company which uses Terahertz radiation for security applications, such as spotting explosives hidden under clothing. They were spun out from research at STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) and are now providing commercial systems to airports, sporting arenas and Canary Wharf.
For more information see: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/PMC/PRel/STFC/Criminals.aspx
Synchrotrons were developed first from the field of particle physics but are now used as light sources with a very wide range of applications. The extremely successful Sychrontron Radiation Source (SRS) at STFC Daresbury Laboratory operated for 28 years and two million hours of science. The huge magnetic memory of the iPod is due to research carried out on the SRS. Research in this field carried on right until the close of SRS with recent work pointing towards the posisbility of a portable 1 million Gigabyte memory!
For more information see: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/PMC/PRel/STFC/MiniElec.aspx
The SRS's most famous achievement by far is the critical role it played towards a share of a Nobel prize in chemistry to Sir John Walker in 1997, for solving a structure of an enzyme (ATP) that opened the way for new insights into metabolic and regenerative disease. The legacy of SRS continues at the new Diamond Light Source.
For more information see: http://www.mrc.ac.uk/AboutUs/History/NobelPrizeWinners/1997SirJohnWalker/index.htm
The ISIS facility at STFC RAL is the world’s leading pulsed neutron and muon source, exploiting the properties of these particles to study a wide range of materials at the atomic level. One operating station at ISIS is ENGIN-X, an instrument for stress measurements that has been used to study motorcycle wheels and aircraft components, improving safety and saving manufacturers money when testing new assembly techniques.
For more information see: http://www.isis.stfc.ac.uk/instruments/engin-x/
The technique called SORS (Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy) was created at STFC’s Central Laser Facility to study the contents of a bottle or packet without opening it. This is now being developed by a spin-out company called Lite Thru and can simplify quality control on pharmaceuticals, improve searching for illegal drugs and is also being examined as a possible non-invasive medical technique to look at cancer.
For more information see: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/PMC/PRel/STFC/Lite.aspx
Detection and treatment of tumours, diseased blood vessels and other soft-tissue conditions could be significantly improved, thanks to an innovative imaging system being developed that uses both light and sound. The prototype instrument has been specifically designed to image very small blood vessels that are relatively close to the surface and offers the prospect of safe, non-invasive medical imaging of unprecedented quality.
For more information see: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2007/Pages/lightsound.aspx
A new breakthrough in hydrogen storage technology could remove a key barrier to widespread uptake of non-polluting cars that produce no carbon dioxide emissions. A team from the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford and RALhave developed a compound of the element lithium which may make it practical to store enough hydrogen on-board fuel-cell-powered cars to enable them to drive over 300 miles before refuelling.
For more information see: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PressReleases/HydrogenBreakthrough.htm
EPSRC funded scientists are playing a key role in the drive to make electronic gadgets smaller, smarter and even more powerful. Teams at the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Southampton and York are striving to create nanoscale circuits, using transistors that are 80,000 times smaller than a hair’s breadth. Because the circuits in today’s iPods and PCs will not work with nano-transistors, this research is vital to prevent the industry from grinding to a halt.
For more information see: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2006/Pages/gridtechnology.aspx
A major advance in nanotechnology with far-reaching potential benefits in medicine and other fields is to be announced at this year's BA Festival of Science in Dublin. Scientists have built molecules that can, for the first time ever, move larger-than-atom-sized objects. Constructing molecular machines capable of performing relatively large-scale mechanical tasks has never been achieved before.
For more information see: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PressReleases/NanoMachinesAchieveHugeMechanicalBreakthrough.htm