TECH OFFERS

The analysis of patient’s blood, known as a Complete Blood Count (CBC), involves measuring the quantity and quality of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets consists of two main steps – (i) an automated machine-based examination to assess various blood cell values and (ii) a microscopic examination of blood cell morphology using stained blood smears and microscopy. The current manual method is highly dependent on laboratory personnel to manually prepare blood smears and process the samples, introducing human error and subjectivity over the over the quantity of staining reagent used for each patient. In addition, continuous exporsure to chemical compound of staining reagents can affect the health of laboratory staff. Conversely, the use of fully-automated machines available in the market, use larger quantities of stains and reagents and this may not be effective for the daily sample volume that is typically processed in smaller hospitals or diagnostic laboratories leading to increased laboratory expenses. This technology is of an automated blood smear staining machine which offers precision control over every step of the sample process. Employing a closed system, with multiple independent channels, this devices offers a solution suitable to smaller hospitals and laboratories which see lower patient test volumes.

Disinfectants are chemicals that kill or inactivate harmful microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Commonly used to disinfect surfaces and objects that are frequently touched, disinfectants are an important tool for preventing the spread of infectious diseases and reducing the risk of transmission. The technology on offer is a long-lasting active compound that serves as a disinfectant. Comprising of nanocomposites and polycondensates, the disinfecting active compound exhibits high efficacy against a broad spectrum of microorganisms including bacteria and viruses. Due to the controlled release effect of active species, the disinfectant’s efficacy can last at least 3 months by accumulation of the active species on the surface of microorganisms and denaturing of the microorganisms’ proteins. This technology is safe and non-toxic to humans and pets, making it applicable for a wide variety of products. The technology owner is interested in joint R&D/co-development projects with partners keen to integrate this technology for new products/applications.

Malaria continues to be a significant challenge for public health, causing more than 200 million cases and approximately 500,000 deaths annually. In Southeast Asia and Oceania, the primary cause of malaria is the Plasmodium vivax parasite, which  is transmitted through mosquitoes and infects red blood cells. Malaria arising from P.vivax transmission is responsible for 42% of all cases of outside Africa. To reduce the burden of this disease, it is crucial to have new tools that can effectively suppress its transmission.  This technology is of a novel vaccine candidate that demonstrates a higher level of efficacy in halting the transmission of P. vivax which unlike its previous counterparts, exhibits enhanced durability making it well-suited for eliciting community protection.

Force sensing is used in a wide variety of applications and one of the primary methods of detection is the use of capacitance sensors. These sensor systems are based on parallel plate and MEMS technology. The force is detected by the shift in capacitance value. This response is nonlinear with respect to the load range and leads to a mismatch between the perception of the human operator and the actual output level. The systems are also difficult to scale due to higher cost of MEMS for larger sized sensors. The technology developed enables accurate detection of volume changes even in low load range by employing micro-pillars (micro-protrusions) which are just tens of microns in dimension. These micron structures are formed in a conductive rubber using an original microfabrication technology. These capacitive sensors have a high linearity with respect to the load and provide a more intuitive operation where human perception matches the output characteristics. The sensitivity characteristics – linearity, load range, and capacitive response to load, can be tuned to suit the application by adjusting the design of the micropillars. Since the change in capacitance is governed by the deformation behaviour of the conductive rubber, this technology is also robust and has a high durability and lifespan.

In an era where environmental challenges are escalating, the need for precise and timely flood monitoring has never been more critical. Addressing this pressing issue is a state-of-the-art flood detection system that offers unparalleled accuracy in water level detection, down to the centimetre, and in real-time. Designed to resist environmental disturbances, this technology ensures consistent and reliable performance. Its self-sufficiency is highlighted by its connectivity via mobile networks and an ultra-efficient power system, which includes a solar panel ensuring sustained operation even in less-than-ideal sunlight conditions. The primary beneficiaries of this technology are government agencies and enterprises involved in environmental infrastructure projects. Additionally, businesses facing environmental challenges and seeking robust solutions will find this invention invaluable. By providing instant alerts on potential flood threats and integrating seamlessly with third-party management systems, this technology addresses a significant gap in the marketplace, ensuring safety, reducing potential damages, and saving lives.

This technology delivers physical climate risk analytics for any asset or portfolio. It combines climate hazard with consequence models, offering richer insights than typical climate risk screening tools. Outputs detail financial repercussions from damages, projected downtime, portfolio risk correlation, increased climate-induced risks, and various other actionable risk metrics. The technology has global coverage, uses high-resolution input data (30x30m), validated computations, and proper uncertainty quantification. Models integrate climate dynamics, providing these same risk metrics for future climate. Stochastic event simulations underpin all the models, which uniquely enables the computation of climate risk correlation across portfolios.

Traditionally, drone image processing has been associated with the need for high-end hardware, licensed software, and a deep understanding of photogrammetry. These requirements have often limited the broader utilization of drone-captured images. This technology empowers drone pilots by enabling them to process their images effortlessly on a cloud-based platform, resulting in the creation of map models that are ready for in-depth analysis. The cloud platform seamlessly handles all the hardware and software aspects, simplifying the previously intricate processing steps into user-friendly procedures. The solution serves to a wide range of users, from beginners who can generate maps with just a few clicks to experts who can conduct advanced analysis without having to switch to other software tools. Furthermore, the technology offers seamless integration with a company's existing information system, ensuring data security and customization to align with the company's workflow.

Refrigeration and cooling account for a significant fraction of total energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission of urban buildings. Conventional vapor-compression refrigeration technology uses GHG refrigerants, e.g., chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HFC) with high global warming potential (10-300 times of CO2) and they are difficult to be recycled. The coefficient of performance (COP) of vapor-compression refrigeration is 3-4, and it is difficult to be further improved. For the above-mentioned reasons, the existing vapor-compression refrigeration faces challenges to meet the requirement of energy saving and carbon neutrality, and it should be gradually substituted by more environmentally friendly refrigeration technologies. To overcome this challenge, a zero-GHG-refrigerant and 100%-recyclable solid-state elastocaloric refrigeration technology based on phase-transition shape memory alloys has been developed by a research team based in Hong Kong. Compared to other refrigeration alternatives, the elastocaloric refrigeration completely avoids the use of GHG refrigerants and has very high cooling power and efficiency with a material COP of up to 30. The elastocaloric refrigeration is realised by cyclic compression of nickel-titanium  shape memory alloy (SMA) tubes, where the martensite-to-austenite phase transformation absorbs a large amount of heat from the surrounding environment. By optimizing the tubular structures, the first-generation elastocaloric refrigeration prototype achieved a total cooling power of 218 watt and a temperature span of 75 ℃, which are the highest among existing elastocaloric cooling prototypes. In addition, the COP of the prototype is expected to be about 8. The research team anticipated that a cooling power of 1000 watt will be achieved by this year and 2000 watt in the coming year. They are seeking co-development partnerships with metal manufacturers or device manufacturers based in Singapore to support the scale up of their prototypes.

Medical simulators are currently utilized in medical education across the globe due to their remarkable resemblance to human traits. The requirement to maintain patient safety and accessibility are particularly important in the healthcare sector. As a result, simulation is used more often in general education classes and professional training programs. This technology is of a training model for vessel puncture and catheterization and can be used as substitute to a soft cadaver. This model can be used in medical education and training for procedures that require the puncture and catheterization of a neck vein and/or a peripheral blood vessel. The technology is beneficial for medical education because it decreases the risk of dangers such as a perforated carotid artery, causing a pulmonary rupture, and a perforated aorta, causing complications from puncture and catheterization, due to lack of experiences and skills of the one performing the procedure. Education on the model will increase confidence, accuracy, and understanding of users, so that they become more skilled before a real practice with a patient, thus preventing complications to occur from vessel puncture.