BCS International has assisted Macquarie University with product commercialisation for a number of years. Early last year, BCS CEO David Bull was approached to partner with the university in developing an implantable wireless telemetry system to be used in the study of hypertension. This work will be performed as a joint initiative of the Australian School of Advanced Medicine (ASAM), the Department of Electronic Engineering and BCS International.

Professor Paul Pilowsky (ASAM), heads up the department’s research in hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Paul’s particular interest is in the central nervous system’s role in regulating hypertension through the control of airways, breathing and circulation. Professor Karu Esselle is the Director of the Centre for Electromagnetic and Antenna Engineering, drawing on Macquarie University’s decades of experience in the development of wireless networking systems.

Current systems on the market have transducers that measure biopotentials such as ECG, EEG and EMG, pressures such as venous, arterial, intra-ocular, bladder and kidney, as well as heart rate, temperature and activity. The data is compressed and sent to a nearby transceiver for advanced post-processing and analysis. Whilst wireless telemetry systems do exist, various shortcomings have been identified.

A PhD candidate has been selected to perform this work in collaboration with the team. David is offering his services as Adjunct Associate Professor to bring his extensive industry experience to help meet this gap in the current market.

ASAM and BCS International have plans to develop a fully implantable system for subcutaneous or intraperitoneal placement in rats that monitors the various parameters as well as blood pH and chemistry, nerve activity and circadian respiratory rate rhythms. The aim of this project is to eventually develop a system with enhanced capabilities that costs less than what is currently available, to give more universities and researchers the opportunity to use this technology.

For further information about the Centre for Electromagnetic and Antenna Engineering (CELANE), please follow the link to:

http://www.engineering.mq.edu.au/research/groups/celane/

The Experimental Petrology and Rock Deformation Griggs Laboratory in the Earth and Planetary Science Department at Macquarie University has for some time been researching magma production and how magmas escape from their source. Laboratory experiments on natural rocks are helping to determine the variables controlling melting, melt segregation and the rates of these processes. In order to further their research, The laboratory asked BCS Innovations to design a custom data logging and control system to integrate with their Griggs Press apparatus, which can subject rock samples to temperatures in excess of 1000C and pressures of 25,000 atmospheres.

(Image of Griggs Laboratory at Macquarie University)

The system was designed by BCS engineer Nathan Parrot and was implemented using National Instruments hardware integrated into a cDAQ-9172 backplane, with software and a graphical user interface for control and feedback designed using Labview 8.0. Data from the experiment is displayed graphically in real time, and also logged for post-experiment analysis.

The control system:

• Regulates the furnace temperature between 20C and 1500C. This is done via mains phase control on a 2.4kVA transformer (300A at 8V) supplying power to a heater,
• Controls an electronic ram (which produces the principal “σ1” stress in the rock sample) using a relay and digital outputs, and
• Controls a hydraulic ram (which produces the secondary “σ2 and σ3” stresses) using a solenoid valve and digital outputs.
• The data logging system acquires data from a variety of sensors, including:
  • A platinum-rhodium thermocouple to measure sample temperature,
  • Several sensors to measure sample strain and stress, including:
    • Load cell for the electronic ram,
    • Hydraulic pressure transducer for the hydraulic ram,
    • A DC LVDT displacement sensor,
    • A Hall effect sensor and custom electronics to measure heater current and voltage, and
    • A fluid flow sensor to monitor cooling water flow

The completed system was successfully commissioned in December 2009. An example of the experimental data produced by the system is shown below.

Both BCS Innovations and the Experimental Petrology and Rock Deformation Griggs Laboratory are very pleased with the functionality of the system and we hope that it will contribute greatly to the field of magma production and release research.

For more information on the experimental work in this field, visit: www.gemoc.mq.edu.au/ExperimentalPetrol/ExperimentalPetrol.htm

For more information see our Keep on Trucking article

Over the next year, a team of engineers at BCS Innovations worked closely with 1X engineering and management staff through all stages of the development process to ensure that product evolved to their exact specification.

This included activities such as electronic, firmware, and software design, verification, validation and prototype manufacture.

And so, The Ballistic Mobile Linehaul R247 phone was born…

About the Linehaul R247

Sparked by the desire for a simple and practical phone tailored to the needs of the transport industry, this phone is arguably the loudest and toughest phone on the market, developed with simplicity and ease of use as its primary objectives.

Hardware development of the phone involved 3 PCBs with embedded systems used for monitoring, control, wireless communications and the user interface. The entirely custom firmware controls a suite of user functions and settings, focused on consumer usability and market-specific features.

Prior to hardware being available, a full PC-based simulator was constructed to allow refinement of the phone’s user interface.

This phone is currently available on the market in it’s first incarnation, as a fixed-in-vehicle ‘Truck Phone’.

Future development

A handheld version of the Linehaul R247 is currently in the final stages of development.

Inside Innovations would like to congratulate all those involved in the development of the Linehaul R247, from both 1X and BCS, on building a fantastic product which is the first of it’s kind in Australia.

We’re looking forward to seeing more innovative products developed through this successful partnership.

Find out more

To find out more about the Ballistic Mobile Linehaul R247, visit the website at:

www.ballisticmobile.com.au

Or send an email to:

info@ballisticmobile.com.au

Just before writing this article I bumped into an old friend who is an economics professor specialising in stochastic derivatives modeling. It was his considered opinion that many of the indicators for the onset of recession were evident well before the warnings became public.

There are many indicators that have been used to identify a pending recession, one that has been credited as one of the most accurate is the decline in the total amount of salaries that are paid each quarter. This should not be confused with unemployment statistics which are a lagging phenomenon and mostly skewed by ever changing and politically motivated sampling criteria.

I often say to our staff that our new business sales calls are a great indicator of what the economy is about to do. That is, they usually slow to a dribble just before an economic down-turn and climb steeply just before a period of economic growth.

It was certainly true that we noticed a sales enquiry down-turn around December 2007 yet most were not talking of recession at that point in time, on the contrary the ASX 200 index was at an all-time high of over 6700. It wasn’t until almost ten months later (September 2008) that the Australian Federal Reserve Bank reduced its cash rate from 7.25% to 7.0% to stem the effects of a potential recession, until this time there were numerous rate rises to help reduce inflation.

I often say to our staff that our new business sales calls are a great indicator of what the economy is about to do.

In light of this you might find it heartening (I know I do) that our sales prospects have risen to an all-time high over the last six months pointing to a major economic recovery. What is also interesting is that at the writing of this article we have just experienced the longest and strongest bear rally of both the ASX and NASDAQ stock markets since November 2007.

Perhaps Standard and Poor’s should use BCS’ sales prospects as one their economic indicators!

(Lyn Vicary, David Bull, Darab Kanga and Andy Wyatt at a department heads meeting in the BCS boardroom)

On a more serious note, I believe that many technology companies have found themselves with the challenge of tightened development deadlines and reduced product development capacity. Many companies have responded to these uncertain economic times by outsourcing their product development. Product development can place lumpy demands on internal resources. Outsourcing this function ultimately leads to a more stable internal R&D workforce.

It is rare that companies want to initiate a product development project at the onset of recession when the company’s cash-flows may be challenged halfway through the project. At these times a large internal R&D team can seem like an unwanted financial burden, whereas, many companies are discovering the flexibility afforded by outsourcing their product development.

Perhaps Standard and Poor’s should use BCS’ sales prospects as one their economic indicators!

If you have any questions about how BCS can help you realise your product development ideas please do not hesitate in contacting me or any of our sales staff:

sales@bcsinnovations.com.au