November 16, 2011

Innovative Solutions for Medical Technology − Broadband Communication from the LED Ceiling Light and 3D Shape Sensing

The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) will be presenting innovative solutions at MEDICA 2011

The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute will be presenting its latest developments – Broadband Communication from the LED Ceiling Light and 3D Shape Sensing – in hall 16, stand C55 at this year's MEDICA World Forum for Medicine − International Fair with Congress in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Broadband Communication from the LED Ceiling Light

With its Visible Light Communication (VLC), the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute at MEDICA 2011 presents a novel method of broadband transmission. Using standard off-the-shelf LED lights broadband data streams are transmitted in visible light to computers and other end devices with communication-capability. The broadband transmission speed has a range from 10 to 100Mbps although speeds of up to 800Mbps have been achieved in the lab. This transmission technique, which uses the energy-efficient electronics of LED technology, is ideal for both distribution of broadband video streams and two-way communication – from internet usage to video conferencing. And the optical wireless technology can be deployed in situations where wireless LAN is uncalled for – for instance, in hospitals using surgical LED lights. Using VLC has the further advantage that data can only be transmitted and accessed within the visible light cone itself.

The fundamentals of Visible Light Communication were developed by Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute in association with its industry partners Siemens and France Telecom Orange Labs within the framework of the EU OMEGA project.

3D Shape Sensing

3D shape sensing can improve navigation in minimal invasive surgery – through the use of fiber Bragg gratings (FBG). 3D shape sensing is a novel technique based on two key base technologies now under development at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute.

On the one hand the new technique uses fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) which can be used as filter structures in any kind of optical waveguide. One significant advantage of 3D shape sensing is that the conductor can now be processed into standard Telecom fibers and no longer needs a special and much more expensive type of fiber. The conductor and the fibers are combined with arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs), which are also commonly used in telecommunications and are here applied for multispectral signal processing. Both technologies can be advan-tageously coupled to give an interrogation device that is highly compact, cost- and energy-efficient and free from electromagnetic emissions. Such a solution enables both online and in situ monitoring of temperature, (T<0.1K), mechanical stress (<25ÎŒm/m) and the generation of highly precise 3D profiles (<1mm).

The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute

The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute is a global leader in the development of mobile and fixed broadband communication networks and multimedia sys-tems. From photonic components and systems and fiber optic sensor systems through to high-speed hardware architectures, the Heinrich Hertz Institute works together with international partners from research and enterprise and for global markets on developing the infrastructures for the future Gigabit Society. At the same time it also develops future applications for broadband networks. Key focal areas of research are 3D TV, 3D displays, HDTV, gesturecontrolled human- machine interaction, image signal processing and transmission, and interactive use of media. Connecting the various areas of expertise of the Fraunhofer HHI leads to innovative approaches for Medical Technology.