Plessey Semiconductors and the University of Sussex announced a new, innovative and disruptive technology called the Electric Potential Sensor (EPS). This is a completely new area of sensor technology that measures changes in an electric field in a similar way to a magnetometer detecting changes in a magnetic field. The sensor, which requires no physical or resistive contact to make measurements, will enable innovative new products to be made such as medical scanners that are simply held close to a patient’s chest to obtain a detailed ECG reading or devices that can ’see’ through walls.
Professor Robert Prance of the University of Sussex, explained, “We created this technology initially as a non-invasive non-contact sensor for measurements in fundamental physics research. However, we quickly realized the many important applications for which this technology could be utilized. Our Research Councils UK Basic Technology program has allowed us to develop a generic Electric Potential Sensor and we have been able to demonstrate its application in a number of areas where the non-contact detection of electric fields can be used to deliver new innovative solutions and products. For example, these include medical diagnosis and imaging, security, and the human-machine interface. We are delighted to have found a partner that we can now go forward with to develop this unique technology into innovative product solutions for the marketplace.”