Medical Imaging
Fifty years after the invention of the optical laser, two separate research groups have independently made important steps toward making phonon lasers — a type of laser that emits very high-frequency, coordinated sound rather than light waves — a reality. The studies, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, could lead to a completely new kind of laser that could find interesting applications in medical imaging. Read More
Scientist Chunlei Guo discovered a way to change the surface of a variety of metals so they absorbed virtually all light by using intense laser light in late 2006. He followed up his “black metal” discovery in 2008 by discovering how to use the same basic process to alter surface properties to turn metals a variety of colors. Now Guo and his University of Rochester colleagues have discovered that the altered black metals can detect electromagnetic radiation with frequencies in the terahertz range, also known as T-rays, which have potential in medical and scientific scanning applications, as well as security scanners. Read More
You don't need to work for the secret service or as a jet fighter pilot to appreciate the sheer convenience – and craftiness – of being able to grab hold of crucial information, without so much as lifting a finger or batting an eyelid. Students at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany are developing a pair of interactive data eyeglasses that can project an image onto the retina from an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) micro-display, making the image appear as if it's a meter in front of the wearer. While similar headwear only throws up a static image, the students are working on eye-tracking technology that allows wearers, with just the movement of the eyeball, to scroll through information or move elements about. Read More
December 1, 2008 The CereTom portable CT scanner is remarkable, but the latest improvement to the remarkable machine comes entirely through software – it’s a Noise/Dose Reduction solution for medical imaging. NeuroLogica’s CT post reconstruction filter is similar to military synthetic aperture radar systems which filter out “noise” while preserving signal quality to thus better “see” objects. These algorithms are computationally intensive but thanks to Moore’s Law and the advent of ever faster, inexpensive computers, we’ll inevitably see many new smarts being added to existing machines. The ingenious solution reduces image noise while preserving spatial resolution and noise texture. The advantage offered by the technology is in significantly reducing accumulated exposure of critical and pediatric patients to radiation without sacrificing image quality. Read More
NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 - the first graphics card with 4GB memory
Launched under the by-line of "the most powerful professional graphics card in graphics history", NVIDIA 's new flagship Quadro FX 5800 graphics card features up to 240 CUDA programmable parallel cores and world first 4GB GDDR3 GPU Memory offering bandwidth up to 102GB/sec. Read More
June 24, 2008 In order to view cells at a high enough magnification to identify cancerous and pre-cancerous growths, doctors currently have to perform biopsy surgery - the invasive removal of cells so they can be examined in a laboratory. But a new Australian endoscope technology is about to remove the need for a biopsy altogether by offering doctors the ability to examine tissue at single-cell and sub-cellular magnification levels as the camera moves through the body. Optiscan's miniature endomicroscope offers up to 1000x magnification as opposed to the 40x magnification of traditional endoscopes, and will greatly speed up the detection and diagnosis of cancerous cells. Read More
October 5, 2007 Computer technology is always working to further capabilities within the realm of modern medicine with one of the latest developments has coming from IBM researchers in Zurich, who announced details of prototype visualization software that allows doctors to view medical data of patients using a 3D avatar of the human body. Read More
November 8, 2006 A new and very promising Laser-Ultrasound-Nanotechnology combination that detects malignant breast tumors one-fifth the size found with conventional technology has attracted U.S. Federal funding totalling US$3.8 million. The new federal funding will support Phase II research into breast and prostate cancer detection using laser optoacoustic imaging technology developed by Fairway Medical Technologies. Read More
July 31, 2006 Research by Curtin University of Technology’s Discipline of Medical Imaging is set to help surgeons better treat aortic aneurysms in abdominal arteries by using cutting edge three dimensional (3D) computer technology. The project aims to help vascular surgeons improve their treatment skills by increasing their understanding of the 3D relationship between blood vessels, aneurysms and common treatments such as surgery and stent grafts. Read More
September 14, 2005 Constituting the very latest in stereoscopic 3D technology is the SD1710 from Planar Systems. Designed to address imaging applications in geospatial intelligence and photogrammetry where geoscientists, cartographers, engineers, image analysts and environmental planners need 3D viewing to discern depth in the imagery and interpret spatial details, the SD1710 features crisp stereo imaging, comfortable viewing and dual use as a standard 2D monitor. Planar's SD1710 provides a new dimension of digital image quality and user comfort for those who need to accurately map terrain, monitor erosion, design mass transit systems, identify boundaries, plan missions and investigate habitats. Read More
