Philips Research Press Release

Philips demonstrates new technologies from its Research laboratory in Aachen

Aachen, Germany -- On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Philips Research Aachen has demonstrated a number of its latest technologies to the press. Besides showing new developments in the areas of healthcare and lighting, the important role of the laboratory in establishing a network of innovative cooperation in the Eindhoven – Aachen – Leuven triangle was stressed.

New Personal Healthcare techniques

The researchers demonstrated a number of new technologies in the area of Personal Healthcare – solutions that will extend the reach of care beyond the hospital:

In the first set of demonstration they showed a range of solutions for measuring medically-relevant parameters outside the hospital with minimal impact on a patient’s quality of life. The solutions rely on “invisible” Ambient Health Sensors integrated into someone’s life, e.g. a chair or a personal health area to continuously monitor medical condition and fitness.

The other demonstration focused on the development of wireless solutions to enable unobtrusive monitoring of patients’ vital functions in the home. Philips is currently researching wireless health-monitoring solutions to enable unobtrusive monitoring of people’s vital functions in the home. Investigations include a system platform for wireless medical body sensor networks, a health phone with integrated interface to the sensor network for mobile access to vital signs and personal health control, and Active Digital Aura, a novel concept that provides safe user identification and intuitive interaction with wireless systems.
 

+ Philips demonstrates new Personal Healthcare techniques

+ Philips investigates new wireless health-monitoring solutions

 

Molecular Healthcare

Progress was also shown on the development of fast quantitative Magnetic Resonance (MR) acquisition and data-analysis techniques for molecular-imaging applications. Evaluation of the techniques in collaboration with luminary sites clearly shows that quantitative MR imaging (MRI) is a powerful tool for the early assessment of diseases and for monitoring the effects of therapy in follow-up studies. Molecular imaging provides early detection of pathological processes associated with disease at the cellular and molecular level rather than at anatomical level as in ‘classical’ diagnostic imaging. The quantification of molecular imaging agents is crucial for assessing disease progression or regression after therapy.
 

+ Philips researches new quantitative MR acquisition and analytical techniques for molecular imaging

 

Lighting

Despite a long history and the ubiquitous presence of lamps, lighting technology continues to advance. As a global leader in lighting systems, Philips is at the forefront of these developments, and much of the fundamental research on lighting technology happens in the Aachen laboratory. An overview of new developments in solid-state lighting, UHP lamps and lighting applications was given.
 

+ Light sources and systems (PDF)
+ High resolution photograph

For further information please contact:
 

Ellen de Vries
Philips Research
Tel.: +31 40 27 42321
Mobile: +31 6 53243037
Email: ellen.de.vries@philips.com