Bio-Medical Imaging project receives Seed Fund award
Developing and commercializing innovative new technologies is central to the mission of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology to catalyze the diversification of the Saudi economy. It is with this goal in mind that the University's Seed Fund recently awarded postdoctoral Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE) researcher Dr. Faycal Saffih $249,640 in seed funding to further develop his bio-medical imaging project.
Inspired by intelligent biological vision systems, Dr. Saffih devised, designed and fabricated his innovative KAUST-patented nano-photo rod sensor, which could, among other applications, eventually streamline in-hospital medical diagnoses by improving the non-invasive imaging of the gastro-intestinal (GI) track. He plans to advance a medical imaging product by integrating his smart photo sensors, using nanofabrication technology, into the microelectronic image sensors manufacturing industry.
The fabrication of his bio-inspired photo-sensor was the result of an international research collaboration carried out by Dr. Saffih at a number of Canadian universities. This collaboration was supported by KAUST Global Collaborative Research (GCR) through its Collaborative Travel Fund which he was awarded in 2010.
"I am aiming to build smart circuits and systems that mimic the intelligence of human (and similar biological) vision systems from the bottom level (sensing) to a higher level (sampling and communication)," said Dr. Saffih. "The aim is to build intelligent imaging systems that are portable and able to sense bright and dim scenes at high resolutions, in order to tackle various challenges faced by bio-medical, manufacturing (robotic), automotive and other industries. The dissemination of this smart Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) imaging will keep the imaging industry growing for a long time to come, as this technology is flexible and its benefits are endless."
Dr. Saffih believes that his research will bring several benefits specific to the bio-medical field. He is currently developing novel designs to advance wireless camera-pill technology by boosting the sensitivity and resolution of the image sensor. This wireless camera is a revolutionary endoscopic technology in the form of a small pill that is implanted inside of the body's GI track in order to record and transmit photos and assist with a medical diagnosis. The camera pill will replace conventional methods such as the short-range and inconvenient borescopes, as well as invasive diagnostic surgeries. Dr. Saffih's research could also be expanded to offer applications and address market needs within the microscopic research, security and automotive industries.
Regionally, the products developed from this research have the potential to create a niche market for Saudi Arabia, as well as open up opportunities for the Kingdom to enter the global CMOS imaging technology market. Once commercialized, Dr. Saffih's research may solve problems inherent within current CMOS imaging technology by boosting both the performance and resolution of biomedical imaging, inspection and automotive imaging technologies.
Dr. Saffih obtained his Ph.D. in 2005 from the University of Waterloo, Canada, after completing his thesis, "Foveated Sampling Architectures for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) Image Sensors". He also received his M.Sc degree from the University of Malaya, Malaysia, in 1998, for the completion of his research on Artificial Intelligence (AI), namely the "Digital Implementation of Artificial Neural Networks".
Dr. Saffih said he is "very grateful" indeed for the chance to be at KAUST and focus on academia again, after working in the CMOS imaging industry for several years, and to run experiments on his novel ideas and technologies. He explained that his research has been greatly enhanced since joining KAUST. Dr. Saffih added that the advanced facilities, laboratories and support he receives for his research is "like no other" university he has been part of. He is particularly grateful to Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini, Dean of Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, for his unwavering support.
Help for Enterprising Innovators
The Seed Fund Program offers capital, mentorship, coaching, education, networking and other incubation support services to the students, faculty and staff at KAUST who wish to develop their ideas and discoveries into commercial ventures. To date, the Seed Fund has awarded a total of $1,722,464 to winning projects..
To find out more about the Seed Fund Program or the application process, please visit the KAUST portal or email .
seedfund@kaust.edu.sa. Check back over the coming weeks for further coverage of other winning projects, and of the individuals behind them.