Our Technologies
We assist companies including start-ups and international companies, as well as various academic and research institutions who are frontline innovators in various technological areas.
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Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
The role electronics and computers play in our lives is growing at an ever increasing pace. Advances in electrical and computer engineering impact so many aspects of human activity that they become the imagery of what life will be like in the future. From development of spacecraft to industry automations to consumer electronics, the electronics industry shapes our present and future lives, providing us with products such as computers, telephones, probes, satellites, GPS, control systems and digital cameras.
Frontiers:Molecular electronics to manufacture electronic components through use of molecule-scale building blocks. Construction of the molecular building blocks to fabricate miniature electronic component requires in fact interdisciplinary knowledge of physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering. Designing circuitry based on molecular electronics challenges engineers to deal with the quantum mechanics effects, avoiding shorting across single-molecule contact electrodes, and developing processes that can deliver product in bulk with acceptable tolerances in specification.
Power-supply-on-chip to integrate modular and granular electrical power converters on an IC chip. Complete on-die integration and integration-within-package are areas of interest to the industry. System performance specifications required by new applications push developers to increase current density, reduce form factors, improve efficiency, and lower production costs. A major challenge on the path to integration and form factor reduction of dc-dc converters is the problem of integrating energy-handling power passive components with conventional silicon processes. Innovators are focusing their efforts on identifying new technologies for the design and manufacture of these types of passive components for a revolutionary IC chip design.
Fields:
Telecommunications, quantum computers, RF circuits, image and sound processing, sensor systems, power conversion circuits, power, battery storage devices, wind turbines, adaptive power sources, movie theater sound systems, robotics, solar power. -
Optics and Physics
Optics and Physics
Physics means ‘knowledge of nature’ and is used, to different degrees, in all modern industrial fields, with new concepts and models of reality that drive cutting edge products for governments, corporations, and the individual consumer. Physics encompasses extraordinarily varied research fields with a wide range of technological applications, such as the manipulation of light in medical diagnostic devices, or the positioning of emergency operators within buildings based on low frequency magnetic fields. Optics focuses in particular on sight and the behavior of light, or the properties of transmission and deflection of other forms of radiation. Innovations such as the laser, termed at the time “a solution looking for a problem”, are among the revolutionary contributions of physics to modern society. New concepts and models in optics and physics continue to drive creation of cutting edge products for governments, corporations, and the individual consumer.
Frontiers:Quantum computing is one of the frontiers in applied physics as computers are rapidly coming to a computational density limit due to limits imposed by physics. Quantum computing allows overcoming those limits leveraging the fact that, at a quantum level, particles can be in a superposition of states, allowing for bits that don’t just represent zeros and ones, but a potentially infinite number of states. The next great leap in computing power will likely involve drastic changes in cryptographic algorithms, which currently rely on the difficulty of integer factorization – an operation that quantum computers could perform in seconds. One issue innovators are working to deal with is maintaining a coherence time useful for practical applications.
Power-over-fiber, or PoF is a technology in which a fiber optic cable carries optical power, which can be used to supply energy rather than, or as well as, data to a consumer. This allows for devices to be remotely powered, with the advantage of creating electrical isolation between the power supply and any powered devices. Such systems are useful for protecting the power supply from dangerous voltages overloads and spikes, such as from lightning. Innovation can be found in finding solutions that improve the efficiency of the energy transfer and reducing the costs of implementation.
Fields:
Astrophysics telescope systems, diffraction gratings, spectroscopic molecular identification, back illumination connection, reflectors, data transmission, acoustical systems, integrated photonics, semiconductors. -
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
One of the most challenging areas of modern science deals with the very, very small. Structures on the nanometer scale can demonstrate highly useful, and sometimes unexpected, properties that aid in areas from advanced scientific research to common consumer goods. Worldwide investment in nanotechnology is in the billions of dollars.
Frontiers:Graphene nanostructures: Applications using graphene structure provide an area of focus in nanotechnology. Carbon nanostructures such as balls, tubes, rods, sheets, are now being engineered into useful products, with research going forward to improved solar cells, long-lasting battery cells, ultra-sensitive chemical sensors, protective coatings, filtration membranes, and flexible electronics. A major challenge in the process is mass producing molecule-scale structures in a reliable way.
DNA origami refers to complex particles constructed out of DNA strands to create non-arbitrary two- and three-dimensional shapes at the nanometer scale. Such DNA nanoparticles have numerous applications, including enzyme immobilization, delivery mechanism for gene editing tools or drugs, and nanotechnological self-assembly of materials. Innovators are challenged to improve control of the correct DNA folding and changes in shape, as well as to provide alternative molecules such as proteins, to create new shapes and structures to be used as targeted vehicles in drug delivery.
Fields:
Nanotubes, graphene structures, nanomachines, quantum dots, nano drug delivery, solar cell technology with nanopillars, biosensors. -
Software and Information Technology
Software and Information Technology
Software is one of the most controversial, and yet key, technologies to enhance the evolution of our society in so many ways. A crafted set of data and computer instructions provide invaluable tools for various areas of technology: from electronics to medicine, from clinical research to biomolecule or drug design. Innovations in operating systems, device drivers, utilities, as well as database management systems, word processors and other software applications have increased progresses in various technological fields to the ultimate benefit of society.
Frontiers:Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the fastest growing fields in software development carrying potential for breakthroughs in various areas of technology. Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Deep Learning and Neural Networks, as well as access of information through the cloud are all parts of new challenges in the development of AI. Applications of AI are seemingly endless and include self-driving vehicles, purchasing securities, mining and classifying data, voice and image processing, self-writing software, robotics, game theory and strategic planning, language processing, and medical diagnosis. Furthering development in this field edges on questioning and modeling how we as humans process information and make decisions.
Internet of Things – The Internet of Things (IOT) refers to the connecting different devices such as vehicles, household appliances, clothing, energy devices, and building systems (HVAC, plumbing, metering) to the internet. Incentives that drive this technology vary from data mining, data brokering, and improved performance through smarter products. The challenge is that of providing hardware and software innovations regarding how to connect these devices through wireless and wired connections, how to transfer and process the data packets, as well as new ways electrify products that traditionally did not require power. Innovations are needed, concerning how the data is mined, organized, and utilized by algorithms that will, in turn, control the connected devices. Innovators are particularly challenged to provide new ways to connect networked devices in concert with each other to achieve more desirable end effects.
Fields:
Error correction, networking, coding, object recognition, search engines, learning machines, e-commerce, social networking, data mining, user interfaces. -
Biotech
and Molecular BiologyBiotech
and Molecular BiologyBiotechnology encompasses different techniques to manipulate and use biological organisms, materials, systems and processes for an extraordinarily wide range of applications. Biotech is providing breakthroughs to improve healthcare, from sensitive and accurate diagnostics, safe and effective vaccines, and innovative therapeutics that rationally target aberrant molecular and cellular pathways. Biotech is also changing energy production and utilization through the development of more efficient industrial manufacturing processes and generation of biofuels. In many ways, biotechnology harnesses the toolbox of biology to improve human life.
Frontiers:CRISPR/Cas9, originally a prokaryotic immune system that has been adapted as a genome editing tool, has revolutionized the field of molecular biology. It enables scientists to edit the DNA (by cutting out, replacing, or adding parts) of virtually any sexually reproducing organism, and to do so in a very controlled, precise fashion that is more accurate and easier to engineer than previous DNA-editing approaches. Because of this remarkable ability, CRISPR/Cas9 technology has tremendous potential for elucidating disease etiologies, for treating disease via gene therapy, and for editing the genes of human embryos.
Biomolecular breadboards to allow testing of genetic circuits in a carefully controlled setting to implement, debug, and characterize a wide variety of circuits. Biomolecular breadboards can be used to implement, debug, and characterize a wide variety of circuits, including both in vivo and in vitro devices. Challenges still remain in developing engineering-driven approaches and systems to accelerate the design-build-test cycles required for reprogramming existing biological systems, constructing new biological systems and testing genetic circuits for transformative future applications in diverse areas including biology, engineering, green chemistry, agriculture and medicine.
Fields:
DNA technology, proteomes, antibodies, protein folding, virology, cellular and biomolecular processes, molecular simulation software, bacteria detection, cellular biology, biofuels, genetic engineering. -
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
We all experience improvements in our daily lives due to chemistry, whether it is the polymer on a nonstick pan, the electroluminescent organic molecule on a smart phone display, the battery that drives an electric car, or a medicine that cures a disease. It is not an overstatement to say that chemistry is at the center of science. From a fundamental, molecular-level chemistry to large-scale chemical processing technology, new developments in chemistry find applications in many industries and consumer goods.
Frontiers:Rechargeable aluminum batteries produce electricity from aluminum anode and a cathode such as graphite. Aluminum is economically inexpensive safe material and has a high energy density. Current research is directed to high-performance aluminum batteries that are fast-charging and long lasting. Innovators are challenged to find solutions that offer a safe alternative to currently more dominant lithium batteries. Unlike lithium batteries, due to the lower reactivity of aluminum relative to lithium, aluminum batteries are not likely to catch fire. Newly developed aluminum batteries will be able to be used in various applications ranging from small electronic devices to electric cars and applications directed to store renewable energy on an electrical grid.
Self-healing polymer materials are a new class of smart materials that are designed to repair themselves when damage occurs. They can sense damage, stop the damage from getting any worse, and repair themselves automatically. These smart materials have healing agents, i.e. chemical formulations that are microscopically compartmentalized within the material, that remain dormant when intact. However, when the smart material is under stress and cracking occurs, the release of the healing agents is triggered and the damage to the polymer materials is automatically repaired. Research is ongoing to find new healing agents such as compartmentalized dicyclopentadiene and Grubbs’ catalysts that form a healing polymer when contacting each other. These smart materials can be used for example as coatings for steels of a structure and other applications where self repair of polymer materials is desired.
Fields:
Catalysts, organometallic chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, food and chemical processing, redox reactions, polymer chemistry, chemistry of materials. -
Medical Device and Pharmaceuticals
Medical Device and Pharmaceuticals
The strive for better health, recovery from injury and disease, and improved quality of life has driven technological advances in the medical field. Latest technological developments in medical devices and pharmaceuticals have blurred the lines between traditional electrical, chemical, mechanical, biological and applied physics. Accordingly, several applications have been developed in which material science integrates into physics, the chemistry integrates into electronics and the biology integrates into computer algorithms. In these fields pure science on the bench-top must look forward to real-world embodiments in a quest for breakthrough improvements over current technology.
Frontiers:Miniaturization in electronics is opening new frontiers in medical research. Bioelectronic medicine is such a tantalizing vision for tomorrow’s medical practice. From the central neural system to the cardiovascular system, bioelectrical signals are integrally present all throughout the body. A new challenge is that of having miniaturized electronic devices the size of a neuron able to read and modify electrical signals in the body to treat diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular diseases, and spinal cord injuries, through the modulation of electrical signals in the brain and other organs with greater precision and reduced side effects compared to current methods.
Controlled Drug Delivery: selective targeting of drugs has profound implications for treatment of important diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and infectious diseases. Innovators are challenged with achieving a better understanding of the physiological barriers in cells and tissues and their specificity for certain features of a molecule and applying this knowledge to the design for efficient drug delivery. Modifications of compounds such as 6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON), have conferred specificity for brain target and increased lipophilicity for crossing the blood-brain-barrier thus leading to substantially higher concentration of the compound in its cerebrospinal fluid in an animal model indicating less toxicity to the rest of the body. Application of such strategy to other compounds can lead to innovative treatment of diseases including brain tumors, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease to increase drug efficacy with reduced toxicity.
Fields:
Radiotherapy, spirometry systems, prosthesis, implants, drug development, drug medical instruments, pharmaceutical compositions and formulations, delivery systems. -
Gaming Device and Methods
Gaming Device and Methods
Innovation has always been a driving force in game designs. From traditional board games to cutting-edge virtual reality systems, game designers have sought protection for their gaming apparatus. Modern game designers often take advantage of the great strides made in technology, such as GPS, image recognition, data mining, touchscreens, and artificial intelligence, to provide the public with products of entertainment that were never before possible.
Frontiers:Mobile games: In the gaming industry, an increasing number of games utilize GPS technology to interact with the player based upon their location. This has created new business models for gaming, directed for example to increase desired foot-traffic or to draw from big data to simulate a real economy with realistic pricing for users to buy and sell property. New challenges are development of mobile systems, such as GPS, datamining, to stitch together gameplay and reality, and development of unique user interface controls tailored to incorporating reality based data (including position) into gameplay. Game developers are challenged to discover new and fun ways to incorporate these data sources into games in a way to that would be attractive for the public and end users.
Fields:
Board games, arcade machines, virtual reality headsets, massively multiplayer online roleplaying games, smartphone apps, motion-detection game controllers. -
Mechanical Devices and Engineering
Mechanical Devices and Engineering
Although mechanical devices are some of the oldest innovations patented, people are still developing clever new devices, machines, and products that have incredible industrial and commercial value. From clever new ways to package food to vehicles for space exploration, advancements in mechanical engineering continue to advance society. Even what seems like a simple addition or improvement to a current device or article of manufacture can turn into a hugely commercially successful industry.
Frontiers:Space shuttles: The space race, previously a challenge between governments, has now extended to commercial companies. Initial endeavors include supporting existing government missions, but plans are in place for commercial travel and research and development. Challenges include providing safe travel for civilian travelers while keeping costs in the range that would attract enough consumers to make the business commercially viable.
Fields:
Heating and antenna systems for automotive window panes, mechanical actuation valves, automotive tires, grinding wheel dressing rollers, safety devices.