SIEMENS

Winning images from a contest illustrate that superb anatomical detail can be achieved with minimal X-ray exposure in angiography (left), pancreatic (top right), and thoracic imaging.

Computer tomography (CT) makes it possible to view millimeter-sized structures inside the body, such as coronary vessels and tiny arteries in the lungs. Because it is essential to minimize patient exposure to X-rays, Siemens Healthcare initiated an International CT Image Contest in October 2009. The competition called on physicians, medical institutes, and hospitals that use the Somaton Definition computer tomography system from Siemens to achieve the best possible image quality at the lowest possible X-ray dosage. Some 300 images from more than 30 countries were submitted for consideration. The names of the winners were announced in March 2010. Successful entries came from Belgium, China, Japan, Canada, Portugal, and Sweden. A jury made up of internationally renowned medical specialists concluded that the winning images were not only of good quality but also demonstrated that a very high level of diagnostic significance - and clear depiction of even the finest details - can be achieved with extremely low radiation dosages. The public was able to join in the discussion on Facebook, where more than 1,400 people commented on the submitted images. "The competition is intended to inform the public about the topic of X-ray dosages and increase their awareness of the responsibility felt by equipment manufacturers and radiologists," says Dr. Sami Atiya, CEO for Computer Tomography at Siemens Healthcare. The Somatom Definition CT, which was developed by Siemens scientists in 2005, is the world’s first dual-source computer tomography unit. The device is equipped with two X-ray sources and two detectors that rotate synchronously and simultaneously record data in half the time it takes for conventional technology to do the same. The CT unit can thus record images of the heart within 83 milliseconds - an extremely short exposure time. It is thus possible to produce a very good image even when patients have a high heart rate. The Somatom Definition Flash, which was developed in 2008, is also a dual-source CT. Compared to its predecessor, it reduces image recording time and radiation dosages even further and needs only around 0.25 seconds to Xray a heart. The dosage required here is less than one millisievert (mSv), as opposed to eight to 30 mSv for conventional devices. Hs

Dresden secures its treasures with radio frequency IDs.

The State Art Collections in Dresden, Germany, are using sophisticated technology to protect their works of art - RFID chips that Siemens and several partners developed especially for the city’s art treasures. The small and inconspicuous radio sensors can be easily affixed to any work of art and do not contain any unsightly wires or other components that could disturb an observer’s view. The sensors detect even the slightest movements and use special algorithms to distinguish between unintentional contact and actual emergencies. They then pass the information they collect to a security center in real time. Sw

Rotors turn with the tide and produce electricity in a process developed by Marine Current Turbines.

Siemens has acquired an approximately tenpercent interest in the Marine Current Turbines company. The British firm is a pioneer when it comes to planning and developing tidal power plants that operate underneath the ocean surface. Such facilities utilize currents such as the ebb and flood of the tides to produce electrical energy. The plant turbine is mounted onto a mast firmly anchored into the ocean floor. In a manner similar to a wind turbine, two-bladed rotors rotate with the movements of the tidal flow and can be turned through 180 degrees on their axis in order to optimally adjust to the direction and speed of the current. Marine turbines produce electricity much more efficiently than their landbased counterparts because the energy density of water is 800 times higher than that of wind. A further advantage is provided by the fact that the regular tidal cycles make electricity production more predictable, which simplifies system planning. Marine Current Turbines has already put its first commercial underwater electricity production facility into operation at the Strait of Strangford in Northern Ireland, where two rotors with a total output of 1.2 megawatts have been feeding power into the grid since November 2008. The facility provides some 1,500 households with electricity, which makes it the most powerful tidal power plant in the world at the moment. The technology offers particularly significant potential in coastal regions with strong tidal currents such as those of France, Canada, the UK, and parts of eastern Asia. Fm

Light emitting diodes can transmit data and project images onto walls (left to right).

Light is creating new opportunities in areas as diverse as mini-projectors and data transmission. Osram has developed the world’s smallest blue laser diode in what marks the first step toward the production of tiny projectors that can be installed in cell phones and digital cameras. It may thus soon be possible for mobile terminals to not only show pictures and videos but also project them onto walls. Such projectors create their images line by line from a moving point of light, much like a tube television. In contrast, a new mini video projector generates images like a slide projector - using a powerful light-emitting diode (LED) from Osram, instead of a light bulb. The cell phone-sized pocket projectors can achieve a screen size of up to 127 centimeters. Modulated white LED light can also be used to transmit data wirelessly - without any visible brightness differences. Researchers from Siemens and Fraunhofer’s Heinrich Hertz Institute have set a data-transmission world record of 500 megabits per second with their new technique. Hs

Pleasant light and colors help patients feel relaxed during diagnostic exams.

Computer tomography (CT) makes it possible to view millimeter-sized structures inside the body, such as coronary vessels and tiny arteries in the lungs. Because it is essential to minimize patient exposure to X-rays, Siemens Healthcare initiated an International CT Image Contest in October 2009. The competition called on physicians, medical institutes, and hospitals that use the Somaton Definition computer tomography system from Siemens to achieve the best possible image quality at the lowest possible X-ray dosage. Some 300 images from more than 30 countries were submitted for consideration. The names of the winners were announced in March 2010. Successful entries came from Belgium, China, Japan, Canada, Portugal, and Sweden. A jury made up of internationally renowned medical specialists concluded that the winning images were not only of good quality but also demonstrated that a very high level of diagnostic significance - and clear depiction of even the finest details - can be achieved with extremely low radiation dosages. The public was able to join in the discussion on Facebook, where more than 1,400 people commented on the submitted images. "The competition is intended to inform the public about the topic of X-ray dosages and increase their awareness of the responsibility felt by equipment manufacturers and radiologists," says Dr. Sami Atiya, CEO for Computer Tomography at Siemens Healthcare. The Somatom Definition CT, which was developed by Siemens scientists in 2005, is the world’s first dual-source computer tomography unit. The device is equipped with two X-ray sources and two detectors that rotate synchronously and simultaneously record data in half the time it takes for conventional technology to do the same. The CT unit can thus record images of the heart within 83 milliseconds - an extremely short exposure time. It is thus possible to produce a very good image even when patients have a high heart rate. The Somatom Definition Flash, which was developed in 2008, is also a dual-source CT. Compared to its predecessor, it reduces image recording time and radiation dosages even further and needs only around 0.25 seconds to X-ray a heart. The dosage required here is less than one millisievert (mSv), as opposed to eight to 30 mSv for conventional devices.

Digital graffiti automatically provides location-based information.

Digital Graffiti - a revolutionary information system developed by researchers at Siemens Corporate Technology and Johannes Kepler University in Linz - has won Austria’s "ebiz egovernment award." The technology can be used to leave virtual messages at specific locations for certain people, or just for anyone. Whenever a designated recipient enters such a location, data is transmitted to his or her cell phone and the graffiti can be read onscreen. Plans at the University in Linz call for the system to be used to provide information on subjects of interest, personal appointments, and lecture locations to students and staff. fm