Esteve Farres

ENOBIO - FIRST TESTS OF A DRY ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY ELECTRODE USING CARBON NANOTUBES

We describe the development and first tests of ENOBIO, a dry electrode sensor concept for biopotential applications. In the proposed electrodes the tip of the electrode is covered with a forest of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that can be coated with Ag/AgCl to provide ionic-electronic transduction. The CNT brush-like structure is to penetrate the outer layers of the skin improving electrical contact as well as increase the contact surface area. In this paper we report the results of the first tests of this concept-immersion on saline solution and pig skin signal detection. These indicate performance on a par with state of the art research-oriented wet electrodes

Oceanpal®: Monitoring sea state with a GNSS-R coastal instrument

Oceanpalreg is a coastal instrument developed at Starlab for operational remote sensing of the ocean surface, with potential direct applications to snow/ice mapping and soil moisture monitoring. The instrument is based on the exploitation of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and their augmentation systems (WAAS, EGNOS). The emitted signals provide an exceptional source of opportunity for passive remote sensing of the Earth. The use of GNSS reflections (GNSS-R) for sea-surface monitoring is a bistatic radar technique only requiring a receiving system. The concept has already been implemented for coastal platforms (few meters above the water), aircraft (1km to 10 km) and is being studied for space platforms (LEO, orbiting at 500-1000 km). The potential applications include sea-state, sea-surface altimetry and surface roughness, both for scientific and operational oceanography. We report on a recent long-term experimental and demonstration campaign, carried out at the Oceanpalreg Coeli station in the Barcelona Port during the period 2004-2007, with a real time web-based service. This campaign has been made possible through collaboration with the Barcelona Port Authority Environmental Monitoring Department (APB). The instrument was installed on a breakwater near the main entrance of the port, at 23 m over the sea-surface. We describe in this paper the successful long-term comparison between the data obtained by Oceanpal instrument and the observables recorded by two nearby buoys. Data used for this analysis cover a period of over one year, allowing a definitive evaluation of the performances of this GNSS-R based coastal instrument for SWH retrieval. We also review results from a weeklong phase altimetry campaign at the port of Vilagarcia.

Oceanpal/sup /spl reg// a GPS-reflection coastal instrument to monitor tide and sea-state

The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as the GPS and GLONASS constellations) and their augmentation systems (WAAS, EGNOS) constitute premium sources of opportunity for passive remote sensing. By 2010, after the deployment of the European Galileo constellation, more than 50 GNSS satellites will be emitting self-calibrating, dual-frequency, rain-immune, L-band spread spectrum signals with long-term availability and stability. The use of GNSS reflections (GNSS-R) for sea-surface monitoring is a bistatic radar technique only requiring a receiving system. The concept was initially proposed by M. Martin-Neira in 1993 and has, since then, been successfully implemented in coastal receivers, in aircraft and recently, in space. The potential applications include sea-surface altimetry, sea-state, surface roughness, surface currents and salinity, both for scientific and operational oceanography. In this paper, we present Oceanpal/sup /spl reg//, a GNSS-R sensor developed by Starlab for operational coastal monitoring. It is an inexpensive, all-weather, dry and passive concept which can be deployed on multiple platforms, static (coasts, harbors, off-shore), and slowly moving (boats, floating platforms, buoys). In its present form, Oceanpal/sup /spl reg// can deliver two kinds of Level-2 products: the sea-surface height and the significant wave height.