Pictures of the Future      Spring 2008

Mummy Marvel

For the first time, the inside of a mummy has been investigated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Specifically, a group of University of Zürich researchers took a look inside a 1,000-year-old mummy from Peru. Previously, scientists used computer tomography, in other words x-rays, in such situations. Capturing such images in ancient mummies with MRI tomography was considered technically impossible, but a group from Siemens Healthcare achieved a breakthrough with their new UTE (Ultrashort Echo Time) process. MRI uses powerful magnetic fields and electrical pulses to determine the position of hydrogen nuclei, which are found in abundance in water and fat. In dry tissue — like that in a mummy — this is a much more difficult task, because here the signals emitted by the hydrogen nuclei are much more fleeting. They can, however, be analyzed thanks to the very fast signal detection of the UTE process, which allows researchers to see the mummy’s intervertebral disks, cerebral membrane, blood vessels, and embalming fluid residue. But this new process isn’t only great for studying mummies — it’s also a big help for examining living patients. It displays tissue that was previously not visible in MRI, and could be used to observe metabolic processes in the heart, for example, or identify abnormal changes to the body’s metabolism or the brains of Alzheimer patients.

Using a new fast echo magnetic resonance process, it is now possible to see even the blood vessels and joints on the arms of a 1000-year-old mummy from Peru — a boy who died at about age 15

Osram Honored

A conducting measurement needle checks the electrical characteristics of LED thin film       chips

Researchers from Siemens subsidiary Osram have won the 2007 German Future Prize for a new process for manufacturing extremely efficient, long-life light emitting diodes (LEDs). German Federal President Horst Köhler presented the researchers with the prize for their “Light from Crystals” project.  This honor marks the third time Siemens has won the German Future Prize since the award’s inception 11 years ago. The prize is worth €250,000. The members of the winning team are thin film technology pioneers Dr. Stefan Illek and Dr. Klaus Streubel from Osram and Dr. Andreas Bräuer from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering in Jena, Germany. The team’s ultra-efficient LEDs can be used in mini-projectors, rear-projection TVs, and night vision equipment in cars, to name just a few applications. The light sources are so strong that they are also suitable for general lighting needs and for headlights in vehicles. A good example is Ostar. This LED  has a luminosity of over 1,000 lm, which makes the little spotlight brighter than a 50-W halogen lamp. The LED can illuminate a desk surface from a height of two meters, for example. And its small size makes the design of entirely new lamp types possible. LEDs consist of semiconductor crystals that emit light when an electric current flows through them. Siemens researchers have been nominated for the German Future Prize seven times and were among the winners in 2004 and 2005. Piezo injection technology for motor vehicles took the prestigious award three years ago, and a mini-laboratory for medical diagnostics won the prize in 2004.

Ultrasound Anywhere

Ideal for on-site diagnostics, the Acuson P10 from Siemens is the world’s first pocket ultrasound system

With the world’s first pocket ultrasound system — the Acuson P10 — doctors can make an initial assessment of a patient at any location where a quick decision regarding the subsequent course of treatment is required. Small enough to fit into a lab coat pocket and be held in one hand, the system is particularly well-suited for use in emergency situations, ambulances, rescue helicopters, and intensive care units. It can also be used to detect conditions that previously called for invasive testing.

The device, which can be operated with a thumb, features lithium-ion batteries that provide power for up to one hour of scanning. A physician can save the images on the included memory card, which makes it easy to transfer them to any computer (for instance in a hospital) running the Acuson P10 viewer software. Developers at Siemens Healthcare not only managed to fit all the system’s components into the miniature device, but also to create a high-quality display. The black-and-white monitor measures ten centimeters, and the entire device, including transducer, weighs only about 700 g.

Portable Purification

SkyHydrant provides drinking water in Bangladesh

Thanks to a portable water purification system from Siemens, clean drinking water can now be provided in even the most remote regions. Known as SkyHydrant, the system works by pumping water through approximately 20,000 ultra-fine fibers, a process that removes all pathogens with diameters of over 0.1 µm. The result: drinking water so pure that it surpasses World Health Organization (WHO) quality specifications. The system doesn’t require electric power or purification chemicals, and its annual cost of less than €0.20 per person is affordable even for the poorest communities in developing countries. One site that has benefitted from SkyHyrant is the Gona Dam in Kenya, where pumps are powered by a small windmill. Previously, residents of nearby villages used water from the dam reservoir—which resulted in outbreaks of diarrhea, cholera, and typhus. Now, residents can simply draw their drinking water from a “Safe Water Kiosk.” Rhett Butler, head of sales at Water Technologies in Australia, and the members of his team won the 2007 Siemens Corporate Responsibility Award for developing the kiosk.

Quantum Leap

Hydrogen and carbon atoms represent qubits

Researchers from Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) and Munich Technical University (TU) have achieved the world’s first experimental implementation of a neural network on a simple quantum computer, coming one step closer to the use of such computers in everyday practice. Quantum computers could be used to greatly accelerate pattern recognition processes—which would be very helpful for identifying computer viruses, analyzing gene sequences, and recognizing handwriting. Unlike conventional bits, the “qubits” of quantum computing—in line with the laws of quantum physics—simultaneously assume different states and affect one another. The Corporate Technology researchers developed an algorithm that can predict how a real quantum computer with a neural network would behave during pattern recognition. Scientists from Munich Technical University successfully tested the Siemens researchers’ simulation in a magnetic resonance spectrometer with a system  of hydrogen and carbon atoms, which represented the qubits. The experts’ aim is to    realize a hybrid processor. Here, most operations would be carried out by conventional chips, but certain tasks would be assigned to a quantum processor.

Less Carbon Dioxide

Frank Hannemann: New process for low-CO2 power plants

Siemens engineer Frank Hannemann has further developed the process known as IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) to achieve low-CO₂ generation of power from fossil fuels. In doing so, he has also boosted efficiency. The IGCC process does not involve the direct combustion of fossil fuels. Instead, these are converted into a synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (p. 36). The gas must be purified of undesirable substances and the carbon monoxide must be oxidized into CO₂ and then separated. All that remains is pure hydrogen, which burns without producing any harmful substances. Lots of chemical energy is lost in the conversion process, however, which reduces efficiency. But in the process invented by Hannemann, the syngas in the turbine is not combusted with air, but with oxygen diluted with CO₂. The resulting exhaust consists of only steam and CO₂. The steam is condensed to water and part of the CO₂ is fed back into the turbine. The rest is compressed and separated, as previously. The advantage of this process is that the full energy of the syngas is used in the turbine, which increases overall efficiency.

Lower-Cost Imaging

Dr. Jian Min Wang has simplified the imaging technology of magnetic resonance tomographs (MRT)—making it possible to design the affordable Magnetom Essenza system. The product costs several hundred thousand euros less than conventional systems. An MRT uses powerful magnets and coils for signal reception. Basic systems have only one reception coil, which limits the scan to only one specific part of the body, for example the head. Wang’s aim was to integrate Siemens’ Total Imaging Matrix (Tim) technology, which makes possible detailed imaging from head to toe, into the Magnetom Essenza. To succeed, his team invented a simplified switching matrix, which is integrated in the examination table. As several reception coils in parallel can be used with the matrix, this modern imaging technology also cuts costs. The Magnetom Essenza is intended to help hospitals and doctors on tight budgets to cover the full range of diagnostic needs. The product was launched on the market in October 2007.