Pictures of the Future Fall 2007
In Brief
Palm Reading
A hand scanner supplements Siemens’ biometric access authorization software
Siemens now offers a palm reading device for biometric access authorization. The new version of Siemens’ ID Center biometric software supports the PalmSecure hand-surface reader produced by Fujitsu, as well as all major fingerprint scanners on the market and, of course, SmartCards, making it a uniquely versatile solution. The system is equipped with an infrared scanner that reads palms within seconds when a person’s hand is held at a distance of a few centimeters. The unit scans the pattern of veins under the skin, after which a computer compares the data with stored palm samples, granting access to restricted areas once an exact match has been made. The palm reading device is generally used in conjunction with a SmartCard. Unlike fingerprint reading techniques, which require the finger to be pressed onto, or dragged across, a special surface, the reliability of the palm reader is not affected by dirt or skin injuries. The system can even "see” through gloves, making it particularly useful for sterile hospital areas, as it does not require hand contact to identify an individual.
Non-contact identification. The scanner is suitable for use in sterile hospital environments
Mission with Vision
The TerraSAR-X radar satellite offers a resolution of 1 m from 514 km above the Earth
Since June 2007, the TerraSAR-X satellite has been delivering images with a resolution of up to one meter as it orbits the Earth. During its five year mission, the German satellite will scan the entire planet with radar from an altitude of 514 km, unaffected by clouds, weather, or lighting conditions.TerraSAR-X will increase the mapping detail of roads, railways, and buildings, providing important information for planning infrastructures. In addition, the satellite will measure changes to the Earth’s ice caps, thus providing data on climate change. Siemens developed key components of the satellite’s mission control center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. The control system, which was originally developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), was adapted and expanded for the TerraSAR mission by Siemens. The system controls and monitors a 5-m-long, 1,200-kg satellite on its mission. As part of the system’s modification, experts from Siemens IT Solutions and Services PSE in Austria installed a special database solution, which documents the satellite’s entire history and compiles all data concerning the control, propulsion, positioning, and configuration of the satellite. The database, which records every signal sent to or received from the satellite, is set to grow to seven terabytes over the next five years—that’s equivalent to the information contained on about 1,000 DVDs. Even before the TerraSAR-X lifted off in June, a consortium consisting of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the space technology company Astrium used the control system to test the satellite.
New Era of Power
Siemens is building China’s highest capacity long-distance direct current power line. The link will transport power 1,400 km to the Pearl River delta in the province of Guangdong, where it will supply Hong Kong, Shenzen, and Guangzhou—megacities with a total population of about 30 million. The high voltage direct current transmission (HVDC) system that Siemens and its Chinese partners will build will usher in a new era of power transmission. It will be the first system to achieve a capacity of 5,000 MW and reach 800 kV. The high voltage makes it possible to transmit more power with lower losses. The HVDC lines that Siemens previously installed operate at 500 kV and deliver up to 3,000 MW. As the energy for the HVDC line is generated by hydroelectric plants in the province of Yunnan, no carbon dioxide (CO2) will be emitted. Without the new line, it would have been necessary to generate the energy using new fossil fuel-fired power plants. And that, according to predictions, would have meant more than 30 mill. t of CO2 emissions every year.
HVDC lines transfer power from rural areas to urban centers
Higher Resolution CT
Engineers at Siemens’ Roke Manor research center in Romsey, UK, have developed a new method that allows computer tomographs to generate data much more quickly. The process enables an optical transmission unit in the rotating part of a tomograph to transfer the measurement values contained in the rotating section to a stationary optical receiver without making contact. Siemens plans to use the new method for its next generation of CT scanners, which will achieve a data rate of 8.5 Gbit/s, compared to the current rate of 5 Gbit/s. "This innovation makes it possible to transmit larger amounts of data in the same amount of time, enabling the generation of higher resolution cross-sections and ultimately improving data quality," says Roke Manor Marketing Director Paul Smith. The Roke Manor research facility was established 50 years ago and has been owned by Siemens for the past 17 years. The center’s approximately 400 employees are among the world’s leading specialists in the fields of communications technology, acoustics, image processing, and sensor systems.
Sharper medical images thanks to fast optical transmission
