Australian Synchrotron to use Bluechiip tracking tech
Wednesday, 16 May, 2012
The Australian Synchrotron will use wireless tracking chips from Bluechiip Limited (ASX:BCT) to identify samples being exposed to extreme conditions.
The Synchrotron will initially use bluechiip tags for protein crystallography tracking and automation for immunology research.
Bluechiip tags will be integrated onto mounting pins, and the technology will be used to wirelessly track a pin's identification and temperature history.
This initial program will be funded by a $50,000 grant from the Victorian government's STIUP Voucher Program.
Bluechiip is a wireless tracking technology that is capable of operating in extreme temperatures, of recording and tracking the temperature it is stored at.
The ability to withstand temperature extremes will allow the Synchrotron to overcome the limitations that 2D barcodes have with frosting or becoming damaged or dislodged.
Samples stored on a Synchrotron beam line are exposed to temperatures ranging from 30° C to -196° C, and tracking tags must withstand frosting as well as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.
While the initial application will be protein crystallography, Australian Synchrotron senior communications officer Nick Green said the chips' resistance to extreme conditions mean they are suitable for use across all nine of the facility's beam-lines.
The synchrotron is used for research in a wide range of fields, including biomedicines, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology and even mineral exploration.
Green said the technology will allow scientists using the synchrotron to reduce human error associated with accidentally analysing the wrong sample, cutting the time research takes.
While there are no direct costs involved with using the synchrotron – applicants must merely pass a peer review into whether the research is worthwhile and agree to publish the results – Green said that because time is money, it will also reduce researchers' expenses.
Bluechiip is also pitching its tracking technology to businesses with cryogenic storage facilities, and believes it has potential applications in pathology, clinical trials and forensics – as well as applications outside of the healthcare sector.
Bluechiip (ASX:BCT) shares were trading unchanged at $0.190 as of around 3pm on Wednesday.
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