Ohio Third Frontier Awards OSU $3M to Advance Terahertz Technology Research and Commercialization

The Wright Center for Sensor Systems Engineering, an Ohio Third Frontier program, recently awarded Ohio State’s ElectroScience Laboratory $3 million to establish the Hyperspectral Engine Lab for Integrated Optical Systems (HELIOS), dedicated to advancing research, testing and commercialization of terahertz sensors.
HELIOS will explore the still relatively uncharted terahertz spectrum—a large part of the electromagnetic spectrum at frequencies between those of microwaves and infrared light. 
“Terahertz is much like X-ray imaging as it can penetrate a wide variety of materials,” said John Volakis, director of the ElectroScience Laboratory and principal investigator of the Wright Center grant. “But it is far superior, because it is not harmful to tissues, and can reveal much more information.”

Kubilay Sertel, a research scientist at Ohio State’s ElectroScience Laboratory, is currently working with OSU startup Traycer Diagnostic Systems to develop the first real-time, high sensitivity terahertz camera that will enable several critical imaging systems. Among these, the immediate applications include diagnosing skin hydration for a variety of medical and cosmetic applications; security screening through clothing and identification of explosive chemicals; enabling visibility in brown-out conditions, such as during sand storms and/or rotorcraft take-off and landing in desert environments; and high resolution subsurface imaging for packaging and quality control.

Ohio State is providing an additional $5 million in cost-share funding for the project, three-year projections for which suggest HELIOS will result in 62 new Ohio jobs and 16 academic research jobs. Within eight years, the center is projected to generate 222 new, high-paying technology jobs.

For more details, see the release from OSU ElectoScience Laboratory: 
http://electroscience.osu.edu/article.cfm?id=6189