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What
is the Owlstone detector?
The
Owlstone detector is a revolutionary button-sized device
that can be programmed to detect a wide range of airborne
chemical agents that may be present in extremely small
quantities.
The detector is manufactured exclusively by Owlstone and
made available on an OEM basis to other third-party
application developers. These developers, in turn, integrate
the detector into their own chemical sensing products and
solutions.
There are thousands of applications - across industries from
security and defense to automotive and healthcare - that
depend on the rapid, accurate detection and measurement of
chemical compounds.
What benefits does the Owlstone detector offer over other
sensing technologies?
Using leading-edge nanofabrication techniques, Owlstone has
created a complete chemical detection system a hundred times
smaller and a thousand times cheaper than other currently
available devices.
Compared with
other current ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) sensing
technologies, Owlstone offers a unique combination of
benefits. These include size and weight, reliability,
sensitivity, response speed, low power consumption, reduce
false positives, versatility and manufacturing cost.
- Size
and Weight:
the Owlstone sensor is fabricated on a single chip with
linear dimensions of just under a centimeter.
- Reliability:
the Owlstone sensor is a solid state device with no moving
parts. It's immune to the effects of mechanical vibration or
sudden physical shocks - making it ideal to cope with the
rigors of real-world environments from airports and
battlefields to factory floors.
- Sensitivity:
the sensor can typically detect chemical agents in
concentrations as low as a few parts per billion.
- Response
Speed:
the extremely small size of the sensor means that it can
respond to the presence of chemical agents far quicker than
larger diffusion-type detectors.
- Low
Power Consumption:
Operating at low voltages, the detector's solid state design
ensures that it consumes far less electrical power than
conventional ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) sensors.
- Reduced
False Positives:
The sensor's ability to discriminate accurately between
different chemical compounds means that anomalous 'false
positive' alerts are minimized.
- Versatility:
it's easy to adapt the sensor's ability to detect other
threats through changes to on-board software and signal
processing alone. The same core technology can therefore be
applied to meet application needs across a wide range of
market areas and industries.
- Cost
of Manufacture:
each sensor can be fabricated at a cost of less than five US
dollars - a fraction of the cost of other detector
technologies. This makes Owlstone detector technology
particularly attractive for high-volume consumer
applications, ranging from personal medical care and
monitoring to smoke detection.
How
does the Owlstone detector work?
The solid-state detector is based on patented
innovations that allow a complete analytical sensor
to be built on just two silicon chips - one for the
sensor itself, and the other for it’s associated
electronics, together with an ionization source. With
this patented technology - known as Field Asymmetric
Ion Mass Spectroscopy (FAIMS) - gas is ionized and passed
through the sensing chip. By programming the device
with suitable drive signals, individual gases can be
detected quickly in very small quantities. The way the
sensor is built means that the cost can be very low
for the performance achieved.
How is the detector manufactured?
The detector is fabricated on a microscopic scale, using
lithographic techniques where the sensor components
are etched on a silicon substrate (MEMS), much like
the manufacture of a microprocessor. This offers a number
of distinct advantages over other chemical sensor technologies
- notably size, cost and ease of mass production - as
well as the sensor's ability to be programmed for a
particular application.
What applications can the Owlstone detector be used
for?
The range of applications for Owlstone chemical
sensing technology is virtually limitless. Any application
that depends on the rapid, cost-effective detection
of organic and inorganic chemical agents - whether airborne
or in solution - can potentially benefit from Owlstone's
advanced, patented technology. Initially, Owlstone technology
is being targeted at [four/five] key application areas,
namely Defense
and Security, Medical and Diagnostic, Industrial, Automotive,
Environmental and Consumer.
Can the core technology in the Owlstone detector be
adapted to detect the presence of any chemical compound?
The
detector's drive signals and signal processing can be
'fine tuned' to recognize the unique signature of a
virtually any gas - or range of gases - whether airborne
or dissolved in water or other fluids. This makes the
detector exceptionally versatile, as well as making
it even more cost-effective to manufacture the device
in large quantities to meet a wide range of application
requirements.
Can
the detector detect multiple threats at the same time?
Yes. The detector generates a continuous 'spectrum'
of information about any chemical agents in its presence.
The unique molecular signatures of several chemical
compounds can thus be identified simultaneously, making
the sensor even more versatile in a wide range of defense/security,
medical and industrial applications.
Will the detector's ability be undermined by the development
of new, artificially synthesized chemical agents that
can't be detected?
No.
Any chemical compound - whether naturally occurring
or man made - bears a characteristic molecular 'fingerprint'.
This individual signature can always be detected using
appropriate sensor drive signals and signal processing.
Where
can I get hold of an Owlstone sensor? And what's the
timeline for availability of commercial products and
applications based on the Owlstone detector?
The Owlstone detector is available to OEMs (Original
Equipment Manufacturers) who integrate the device into
their own products, systems and applications.
Owlstone
is interested in discussing requirements further with
OEMs to implement laboratory and field tests with our
portable test platform. A second generation test platform
will be available in October, allowing partner OEMs
and systems integrators to develop their own applications
based on the Owlstone detector '. It is anticipated
that the first wave of commercial products will be available
during 2006. Potential development partners are invited
to contact
Owlstone now.
When
was the company established?
The
research began at the University of Cambridge in 2001
by three engineering researchers; Andrew
Koehl, David
Ruiz-Alonso, Billy
Boyle. They subsequently spun out in
early 2004.
Why
is this technology so relevant now?
Existing technologies cannot meet the challenge of chemical
and explosive detection in transport networks, government
buildings, public spaces, financial institutions etc.
The reality of the threat against such targets demands
a generational leap in technology capability and a dramatic
reduction in cost. Recent atrocities graphically illustrate
security gaps, Owlstone aims to use its technology to
provide safety where it is needed most.
What
is FAIMS?
The Owlstone detector implements an analytic
technique called high-field asymmetric waveform ion
mobility spectrometry (FAIMS). The approach sorts compounds
according to how their charged forms move through a
gas when subjected to electric fields. Each substance
has its own characteristic smell, or fingerprint. The
Owlstone detector acts as a filter; compounds of interest
are filtered and detected, while interferants are screened
out.
How would these sensors be deployed, in a train station
for example?
A small and cheap detector opens up a range of
deployment scenarios, from very small disposable sensor
applications to rugged fixed installations in oil rigs.
The
cost reduction in wireless technology, coupled with
the power of the Owlstone detection technology, enables
applications previously unfeasible or prohibitively
expensive. For example, arrays of sensors could be dropped
from military jets onto a battlefield to create an intelligent
detection network capable of identifying and tracking
threats.
The small form factor of the sensor would make it possible
to connect directly to a mobile phone, which could provide
computing power for a non-invasive diagnostic tool to
diagnose disease and illness by detecting chemical markers
on the breath.
The
deployment and interface possibilities are endless and
'working with integrator partners' Owlstone will address
the needs of multiple high value markets which demand
cutting edge detection solutions.
What
is the relationship with the University of Cambridge?
Owlstone has no formal linkage to the university
but still has a very close relationship with many world
class personnel located there.
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