Superior Sensor Making Sense in Military, Medicine

About this technology

Overview

A decade ago, Srico, Inc., created a voltage sensor in cooperation with Glenn Research Center under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, in support of NASA's aircraft and space power systems. On the commercial end, Srico successfully marketed it as a solution for fiber-optic communication systems, noncontact probing of high-speed integrated circuits, biomedical engineering and instrumentation, and lightning detection in avionics and mining. The technology has since been propelled to a higher level to address electrodiagnostics, patient monitoring, and functional magnetic resonance imaging, as well as physiological monitoring of military pilots and combat personnel. Srico's small lithium niobate photonic electrode, or Photrode,T represents a paradigm shift in technology for sensing electrophysiological signals, particularly electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (EKG) signals. While current methods for executing EEG and EKG measurements require the attachment of electrical wires to a patient's scalp or chest, Srico's Photrode invention manipulates light to measure the electrophysiological signals produced by the body, otherwise known as biopotentials. Unlike conventional electrodes, Photrode measurements do not require skin preparation or the use of adhesives or conductive gels.