Cork Institute of Technology is delighted to announce it has won the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Image of the year award for 2020. The winners of the prestigious Science Foundation Ireland Awards were revealed today at the annual SFI Science Summit. The research image competition celebrates images captured by Science Foundation Ireland funded researchers during the course of their research. The winning image was titled “Talking Heads” and was taken as part of the SFI funded project titled MASK which focuses on Making Aerosol Safety Known. CAPPA Researchers Dr Krishnakumar Chullipalliyalil and Dr Steven Darby along with Danielle Wilcox from Blackrock Castle Observatory took this image during their work on the Making Aerosol Safety Known Project.

The image above shows a red laser sheet illuminates the particles emitted from a medical dummy head. The red sheet is aimed at the dummy’s nose. We can clearly see the difference between a mask and no mask.

CIT received funding from SFI for research into barrier masks to tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the project is to quantitatively determine how well commonly available face – mask materials supress the transmission of exhaled droplets. Given that the reproduction rate of COVID-19 is linearly related to both the efficacy of a mask and the percentage of a population wearing masks, a small change in either makes a large change in disease transmission rates. It is therefore critical that large-scale mask usage, will involve optimally suppressive materials that are comfortable to wear for extended periods, can be produced in large quantities and are re-usable and inexpensive. Importantly such masks will not negatively affect medical supplies.

The project will use imaging techniques to directly measure the range of droplet sizes that penetrate the materials under examination. This direct imaging approach improves upon many other studies and is capable of single – droplet detection and sizing from at least the five-micron threshold level and with no physiologically significant upper threshold. The project approach will measure the brightness of each droplet exhaled by participants through face masks composed of different materials as they pass through a light curtain generated by a laser. Using high-speed photon-counting imagers and a photometry reduction pipeline, previously developed for an astrophysics context, the team will be able to deal with overlapping and non-spherical point sources and extend the dynamic range of brightness’s which can be analysed. By repeating the experiment for different materials, we will rapidly obtain an accurate estimate of the differential absorption of these materials as a function of droplet volume.

This research involves a multidisciplinary approach and brings together researchers from a variety of research departments in Cork Institute of Technology including the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Process Analysis (CAPPA), Blackrock Castle Observatory (BCO), BioExplore Research Centre and the MeSSO research group.

You can learn more about the research CAPPA has conducted around COVID – 19 here or you can contact CAPPA directly here for more information.

This article was first posted on the CAPPA website.

An internationally-renowned technology research centre with over 80 staff specialising in areas from Future Health and Intelligent Transport Systems to Agri-Tech and Cybersecurity is reaching out to industry, businesses and entrepreneurs bidding to service existing clients and attract new consumers with new needs, habits and concerns in a post-lockdown world.

The move by the TSSG Technology Gateway team comes in the wake of their comprehensive Industry Insights Report investigating the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and what the future will look like in a post-COVID world. The Technology Gateway team at the Telecommunications, Software and Systems Group (TSSG) have already nurtured and supported global players such as ESBNetworks, nearForm and Immersive VR Education and are anxious to continue to support industry within and outside of the region.

TSSG in partnership with Enterprise Ireland have been building technological solutions for industry across the south east and beyond as well as helping combat much of the disruption caused by COVID-19. The world-wide pandemic highlights the importance of businesses being agile and flexible, being able to innovate to meet dynamic demands brought about by interruptions, disruptions as well as rapidly changing consumer needs and habits.

Together, the TSSG Technology Gateway team is giving businesses and organisation of all shapes and sizes the opportunity to access decades of knowledge and hands-on industry expertise and the expert staff want to hear now from those with an idea, with a problem that requires a tech solution or from those with a prototype that they’re struggling to get to the next level. Brands and retailers need to invest in technology from ecommerce and digital payments through to artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and virtual reality (VR) to attract consumers with new needs, habits and concerns.

They’re also reaching out to industries, confident the multi-skilled, expert team can resolve just about any problem with a tech build, TSSG Technology Gateway Manager, Miguel Ponce de Leon explained.

“Architects design your house and show you how you can take a number of ideas and innovations and combine them to make a beautiful home. A building contractor builds it. We are architects for digital businesses. TSSG is a special microcosm. Because we do European as well as national commercial projects, we can marry the two to bring the knowledge from research into real world digital applications.”

Business Development Executives, Carol Faughnan and Jim Prendergast, encouraged businesses and individuals to engage with them now. The team can be contacted on techgateway@tssg.org

Carol Faughnan said: “It is my job to match cutting edge research with industry. I look at a company’s research and development (R&D) needs and align this with areas of expertise in TSSG such as Software Development/AR&VR/Mobile Pervasive Applications/Data Analytics and IoT. I help companies to access funds from sources such as Enterprise Ireland so they can bring their idea from concept to reality and avail of our researchers through Innovation Vouchers.

“At TSSG, we are always looking to the latest and greatest. Our researchers are always experimenting. Areas such as Smart cities will be of great interest. Using 5G as a gateway into 6G will be an area that will be investigated. With the birth of Covid-19 and future of work at play, Future Health will be to the core,” she added.

Jim Prendergast meets with businesses and helps facilitate their collaboration with the world-class, cutting-edge research happening at TSSG. “We are seeing a growing trend in Healthcare applications, Precision Agri as well as in the Energy sector. Our test-bed networks mean that we can grow the number of projects using wireless networks such as LPWA, Terahertz and 5G. Some of the researchers are already using 6G in their research.

“Our telecommunications work also extends to Bio Nano telecommunications, using biology as a network to transmit signals within the body. I see a lot of potential in the emerging use cases in Smart Cities. With growing population and increasing traffic congestion, the need for city managers to access data sets to help manage the city is more imperative than ever,” he added.

To view the report Click Here

This post was originally published on the TSSG website

CAPPA Technology Gateway recently purchased a new optical set–up containing four components, a supercontinuum (SC) laser, a spectrometer and two scientific-grade cameras. The supercontinuum laser, SuperK Evo, is a white light laser based on extremely reliable fibre laser technology.  Designed for maintenance-free operation, the laser is very stable and boasts a long lifetime. The spectrometer, Andor Shamrock 500i, is based on the Czerny-Turner optical design and pre-aligned to the camera. The scientific grade cameras, Andor iXon 855 and Andor iDus 1.7mm, cover the wavelengths from visible to near-infrared. With this new system, CAPPA will have the ability to carry out more detailed research across a variety of different sectors including pharmaceuticals, medical device, photonics, food and beverage. This equipment was funded as part of the Enterprise Ireland Capital Equipment funding call.

The SC laser source is unique as it provides a laser-quality beam, sharp and intense, over a broad spectral range, equivalent to a fluorescent bulb. As a result, the SC laser can be used for both absorption and excitation characterisation. Another significant advantage of the source is its size, smaller than a desktop computer, making it extremely portable and adaptable to a plethora of techniques. The spectrometer consists of dual detector outputs to couple both scientific-grade cameras, with a motorised triple grating turret. The three gratings are configured as follows: 1) ruled grating, 300 l/mm, 1700 nm blaze, 2) ruled grating, 600 l/mm, 500 nm blaze and 3) ruled grating, 1200 l/mm, 500 nm blaze, these enabling the generation of high- and low-resolution spectra. The first scientific grade camera contains a charge-coupled device (CCD), with a 512 x 512-pixel array, and spectrograph. The CCD provides high sensitivity, enabling detection of low light levels, along with high temporal resolution (microsecond), needed for some fluorescence applications. The second scientific-grade camera contains an InGaAs sensor optimised for near-infrared, with a 512 x 1-pixel row at a 25 mm pitch and a Peak QE of > 85%. Together, the combination allows for the construction of an abundance of microscopy and spectroscopic techniques, including VIS/NIR absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography and imaging techniques via reflection, absorption or fluorescence, on a compact benchtop set-up.

The main purpose of the set – up will be as a stepping stone to providing affordable automated characterisation solutions which companies can take back on – site. Characterisation is preformed regularly on high – end expensive commercial equipment based at CAPPA. However, if the procedure is required regularly, returning to CAPPA routinely is not a realistic solution, neither is purchasing the high – end commercial equipment. Consequently, simpler specific setups are built at CAPPA to meet the needs of the routine measurements. A delay in this set comes from determining appropriate light sources and detectors remotely. The SC–CCD combination will remove this delay, allowing for the construction of benchtop VIS/NIR absorption, fluorescence, optical coherence tomography and imaging setups.

The combination will also allow an increase in sensitivity compared to commercial equipment by the construction of cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy or intensity/frequency modulation setups. These purpose-built solutions can significantly increase sensitivity compared to other all-purpose commercial equipment. The SC–CCD can be used in applications such as fluids in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industry, in the environmental sector, particles/powders in environmental and pharmaceutical sectors, surfaces/coatings in biomedical and pharmaceutical, solids for materials characterization and light sources.

If you are interested in learning more about the facilities available at CAPPA, you can contact them here.