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new products
blood flow dynamics for diagnostics.
OctoPlus will benefit patients, doctors and OCT
equipment manufacturers by increasing patient comfort
during eye tests, reducing examination time and
enabling doctors to make more timely decisions. For
doctors, OctoPlus will more than double the eye surface
captured in a single scan without sacrificing resolution,
and will improve confidence in the diagnosis protocol.
This will lead to more effective treatment decisions based
on OCT angiography and will allow for earlier detection
of peripheral pathologies like diabetic retinopathy.
Specific advantages of OctoPlus include a 250 percent
larger field of view compared to the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approved commercial Swept
Source OCT (SS-OCT) and a +5dB signal-to-noise ratio
(SNR) in comparison with equipment currently available
in Spectral-Domain OCT (SD-OCT).
A further benefit of OctoPlus is that it saves 60 percent of
the power used by previous designs. This reduces heat
generation, improves the stability of OCT equipment
and increases maintenance intervals.
François Thouret, President of Professional Imaging
at Teledyne e2v, said, “OctoPlus is a very exciting
technology development for OCT. Within the next year,
doctors will have wider access to functional imaging,
which will benefit both patients and healthcare systems.
Thinking beyond existing OCT markets, our ambition is
to collaborate with partners to develop further innovation
in OCT for emerging applications like neurology and
dermatology.”
The launch of OctoPlus follows the introduction of
Teledyne e2v’s ADQ14OCT, the first 14bit digitizer for
SS-OCT, enabling high speed and high depth imaging.
STMicroelectronics’ Chips Stand Guard in
Haltian’s Trackerphone for Children and
Seniors
Motion-sensing and data-processing chips from
STMicroelectronics
(NYSE:
STM),
a
global
semiconductor leader serving customers across the
spectrum of electronics applications, help increase
family safety in the Snowfox trackerphone, a two-way
portable communication device with locating capabilities
designed for children and seniors by Haltian, a Finnish
design and engineering start-up.
The matchbox-sized, easy-to-carry trackerphone maps
its wearer in real time in addition to letting you reach
them by calling. A simple one-button control on the
device prompts notifications and call requests to family
members, who can monitor their loved ones through
a free smartphone app that offers various map views,
location history, and event timeline.
ST’s MEMS accelerometer inside the trackerphone
detectstheuseractivitytostartthelocationmeasurements
while the ultra-low-power STM32 microcontroller makes
sure everything works reliably on minimal energy use.
The outstanding real-time performance and power
efficiency of ST chips gives Snowfox users the perfect
balance of functionality and battery life.
“You simply cannot make compromises when you
design a personal safety device,” said Pasi Leipälä,
CEO and co-founder, Haltian. “Based on our extensive
study of different manufacturers and their solutions, we
chose an ultra-low-power STM32 microcontroller for its
perfect combination of power conservation, rich set of
peripherals, and optimum package size. Similarly, the ST
accelerometer scored best for us in power consumption
and performance.”
“The Snowfox trackerphone enables children and
seniors to remain active and stay connected, giving their
family members peace of mind in keeping their loved
ones safe,” said Iain Currie, Vice President North Europe
Sales, STMicroelectronics. “Haltian’s decision to rely on
ST’s high-performance, ultra-low-power chips confirms
our enabling role in the development of innovative
applications that help people get more from life.”
ST’s state-of-the-art technologies have also contributed
to the success of Haltian’s hardware prototyping
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