Boston University

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Bioprocessors Corp.

Allyn E Hubbard

Scott A Rollins

Stephen P Squinto

Jeremy P Springhorn

Samesh Kale

Todd A Hinck

Zibing Yang

Howard I Cohen

Prasad R Akkapeddi

Socrates Deligeorges

David Mountain

An acoustic detection and localization system includes a signal acquisition stage, a biomimetic processor, and an acoustic feature processor. The system uses multiple acoustic cues including spectral content, inter-aural time delay (ITD), inter-aural intensity difference (IID), and periodicity content to detect, classify, and localize sound sources. Pairs of acoustic sensors are arranged geometrically with a spacing depending on the application. The biomimetic processing provides for echo suppression to enhance performance in reverberant environments, and automatic gain controls for robustness in noisy environments. Applications include mobile robotic platforms for reconnaissance and surveillance, helmet mounted systems for sniper detection, vehicle-mounted systems for combat awareness, general civilian security systems, and systems for environmental monitoring and tracking of animals.

Biomimetic acoustic detection and localization system

A tunable current mode integrator for low-frequency continuous-time filters that requires a reduced amount of area when implemented in an integrated circuit (IC). The integrator includes input and output transistors, and cross-coupled current mirrors, integration capacitors, and operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) that form a feedback structure with the input transistors. Input currents are converted to small current swings within the OTAs, and are subsequently integrated by the capacitors. Resulting integrated voltages are converted to output currents by the output transistors.

Tunable current-mode integrator for low-frequency filters

In a liquid handling system including a liquid handling substrate having a plurality of channels for conducting a liquid sample in said substrate, where the channels terminate in a plurality of exit ports in an outer surface of the substrate for transfer of a quantity of the liquid sample. The handling system also includes a liquid storage and dispensing substrate having a plurality of separable cartridges corresponding to the channels, with each cartridge terminating at a microelectro mechanical system (MEMS) comprising a laminate of glass, silicon and a piezoelectric substance. The handling system further includes a liquid detecting system comprising a light emitting diode and a photo-detector, where each channel includes a reservoir in communication with a corresponding cartridge creating an interface therebetween. The handling system enables a method for storing and dispensing liquids including drawing a liquid sample into the channels either by capillary action, vacuum, electrostatic flow, a minipump or any combination thereof, storing the liquid sample into the cartridge, and dispensing the liquid sample.

Methods and devices for storing and dispensing liquids

An apparatus for performing a assays includes an axially rotatable substrate including a plurality of layers of a semiconductor material and numerous radially-arrayed reaction sites. The apparatus further includes a rotary stepper motor which rotates the substrate at an adjustable and substantially continuous speed and controls the rotation of the substrate by adjusting the speed and a direction of rotation. In addition, the apparatus includes a dual function head which has a fluid dispenser that has a fluid dispenser outlet and delivers a fluid to a reaction site and also has a readout device that has a sensor which receives an identifying signal from the reaction site on the substrate or scans the substrate to read identifying marks at the reaction site. Moreover, the apparatus may be aligned by a computer having a memory for storing a start location for the dispenser outlet on the substrate and additional electronics. The computer provides movement signals to the rotary stepper motor and a linear stepper motor on which the dispenser outlet is mounted, whereby the motors align the dual function head over the substrate, such that the dispenser outlet is aligned over the reaction site.

Apparatus for performing assays at reaction sites

An electrode array microchip, fabricated preferrably using CMOS technology, comprising electrodes made with overglass cuts over metal2 regions is disclosed. Overglass cuts of dimensions approximately an order of magnitude smaller than dimensions quoted in current design rules for CMOS technology are successfully employed to make exposed electrodes of dimensions on the order of microns. Thus, the electrode array chip can be produced cheaply on commercial fabrication lines. The invention finds many uses in biology and medicine, particularly when applied to the measurement of neural electrical activity.

Electrode array microchip

An integrated circuit inductor is disclosed which can be fabricated by adding simple follow-on steps to standard fabrication line processes. In a preferred embodiment, standard CMOS technology is used to fabricate a multi-turn coil having its axis normal to the layers of oxide, polysilicon, and metal which form the coil. For a coil 100 microns on a side, an inductance on the order of 10 nH can be achieved. By including a magnetic core in the design using the disclosed procedure, this value can be increased to as high as 0.1 mH. Thus, inductor values ranging from 0.001 mH-0.1 mH can be physically implemented as integrated, highly-miniaturized CMOS designs for analog operation in the range of approximately 1-100 MHz.

Growing community of inventors

Milton, MA, United States of America

Allyn E Hubbard