Summary:
A research team from a Spanish university specialized in the field of sedimentology has designed a microscope plate to carry out sediment counting and compositional analysis in a much more efficient and accurate way than current methods, facilitating the field work of geologists and biologists thanks to its design and compatibility with existing laboratory equipment. The team intends to license the device to analytical instrumentation companies for its manufacture and global distribution.
Description:
Studies of sediments in continental and marine environments by counting grains and analyzing their composition are of great relevance to both biology and geology and its branch, sedimentology, which studies the processes of formation, transport and deposition of accumulated material as sediment.
The conventional method for grain counting and analysis is the use of Petri dishes, into which the sediments are poured and, alternatively, photographs are taken with the help of photographic visualisation software to ensure that there is no overlapping of grains. Or manually, counting grain by grain with the help of a binocular magnifying glass and a needle. However, the use of these techniques presents problems associated with counting due to the overlapping of photographs, which can lead to the same type of grain appearing in two different images, or double counting, thus distorting the whole process.
Researchers in the area of sedimentology at a Spanish university have devised a new specific device that solves the inaccuracy of traditional methods of counting sediment grains, speeding up the whole process and avoiding problems of duplication.
The team is looking for companies in the analytical instrumentation sector interested in developing the product, with global production and sales capacity, to establish a licensing agreement. A confidentiality agreement will be signed beforehand to share information.
Type (e.g. company, R&D institution…), field of industry and Role of Partner Sought:
The research team is looking for collaborations with industrial companies that have experience in the development of analytical instrumentation. More specifically, the company must have the capacity, starting from several possible designs, to carry out their large-scale production and subsequent sale worldwide. A confidentiality agreement for the exchange of information will be signed beforehand.
Stage of Development:
Prototype available for demonstration
IPR Status:
Patent(s) applied for but not yet granted
External code:
TOES20210909001
