Blogs


Allen Institute uses Neuropixels probes and New Scale manipulator to reveal how information flows across the brain

Allen Institute uses Neuropixels probes and New Scale manipulator to reveal how information flows across the brain

The Allen Institute of Brain Science posted a summary of recent work from its MindScope Program. The team uses New Scale Technologies’ Multi-Probe Micromanipulator System to position Neuropixels silicon neural probes at precise locations in a brain. The Neuropixels probes are used to record brain activity in an effort to understand how we perceive the visual world around us.

Mikroantriebe Mit Grossem Innovationspotenzial

Maxmillian Dreher, sales engineer at New Scale Partner SI Scientific Instruments in Germany, published an article “Mikroantriee Mit Grossem Innovationspotenzial” in the Jan-Feb issue of antriebstechnik – Wissen Schafft Ideen. Read the article (in German) at...
New Scale featured in NASA Spinoff

New Scale featured in NASA Spinoff

New Scale Technologies is featured in the 2019 NASA Spinoff magazine for its work in developing precision, miniaturized piezoelectric positioning systems for the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The technological...
Instrument maker uses M3 motion modules to create new market opportunities

Instrument maker uses M3 motion modules to create new market opportunities

Case study: Piezo focus system enables portable cytometers, expands access to healthcare in resource-limited settings. A customer wanted to create a backpack-portable blood analyzer for use in resource-limited settings that do not have access to institutional laboratory instruments and services. New Scale’s miniature precision focus system helped to make it possible.

Bringing Image-Guided Laser Surgery to Endoscopy

Bringing Image-Guided Laser Surgery to Endoscopy

Article in MDT magazine: In an effort to advance the benefits that lasers can offer to surgeons, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center partnered with a motor and motion control specialist to fabricate an endoscopic laser scalpel that incorporates a remote-controlled beam steering device right in the endoscope head.

Smart off-axis absolute position sensor and UTAF piezo motor enable closed-loop control of miniaturized Risley prism pair

Smart off-axis absolute position sensor and UTAF piezo motor enable closed-loop control of miniaturized Risley prism pair

Many optical applications require an off-axis sensor configuration to leave a clear aperture for light transmission through the center of a rotating optical element, which may be a polarizing optic, a micro filter wheel, a wedged prism or other component.

Hall effect position sensors with on-chip analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) lend themselves to very tiny systems. Using a novel implementation of these integrated linear position sensors, engineers at New Scale Technologies created a unique off-axis rotary position sensor that delivers absolute angular position information over a standard I2C serial digital interface. This sensor has a wide clear aperture, very small size and low power use. Coupled with New Scale’s tiny piezoelectric motors, it enables highly-miniaturized optical systems.

Micro-Scale Smart Actuator Modules for Imaging Systems

Technical paper Presented at Actuator 2012 by David Henderson, New Scale Technologies – Micro-scale smart actuator modules have recently been commercialized for imaging systems. These smart actuators enable “plug and play” integration, rapid prototyping and faster times to market.

Focus: Industrial strength lens motion with smart phone sensibilities

Focus: Industrial strength lens motion with smart phone sensibilities

Article published in Electronic Products – Technology developed for today’s smart phone cameras is being extended for use in non-consumer applications. In this article we discuss how and why phone camera focus systems evolved from voice coil motors to piezo motion systems, and what that means for designers of embedded imaging systems for non-consumer applications.

Adding automated focus to biometric, medical, and industrial micro cameras

Adding automated focus to biometric, medical, and industrial micro cameras

We all are familiar with the consumer digital cameras that are in our pockets, mobile phones and personal computers. Thanks to incredible advances in microelectronics, CMOS image sensors and optics, most of us have a very good camera within reach most of the time.

Now these tiny cameras are inspiring product engineers in “non-consumer” applications—such as biometric identification, medical and diagnostic devices, and machine vision—to make even greater products. In fact, markets for these new applications are projected to grow faster than consumer camera markets over the next few years.

In this article we discuss sensor and lens requirements, compare the M3-F focus module to voice coil motors and stepper motors, and talk about image processing, digital signal processing and other system considerations.