Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/969348
APRIL 2018 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 21 Mandavia: Well, I'm hoping to see flying cars in my lifetime (laughs), but in the next three to five years, you will see the maturity of autono- mous technology for automotive, and changes to our infrastructure engaging with our vehi- cles to enable more features to improve traffic flow and safety. If there is further communi- cation between a vehicle to the infrastructure, that will require more electronics and sensors in the system. Shaughnessy: Well, it should be interesting to watch, and it's all good for the industry. Mandavia: I can't wait to buy my flying car! Shaughnessy: Is there anything else you would like to add? Mandavia: It will be interesting to see the change in approach and methodologies and design in automotive in the coming years. As we see convergence of traditional OEM companies and Silicon Valley shaping the future of auto- motive, we are seeing the clash and evolution of the approach on how an automotive system is defined. We are all seeing new approaches being implemented, and more changes around the corner. Shaughnessy: It's a fun time, it really is, and it's only going to get better. Mandavia: Thank you, Andy, for making the time to speak with me today. Shaughnessy: Thank you. DESIGN007 A new method to sensitively measure the structure of molecules has been demonstrated by twisting laser light and aiming it at miniscule gold gratings to separate out wavelengths. The technique could potentially be used to probe the structure and purity of molecules in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, foods and other important products more easily and cheaply than existing methods. Developed by physicists at the University of Bath, working with colleagues at the University of Cambridge and University College London, the technique relies on the curious fact that many biological and pharmaceutical molecules can be either "left-handed" or "right-handed." Notoriously the morning sickness drug Tha- lidomide caused birth defects and deaths in babies before it was pulled from the market in the 1960s. Investigation showed that the drug existed in two mirror images; the right-handed form was effective as a morning sickness drug, but the left-handed form was harmful to fetuses. The research team from the Centre for Pho- tonics and Photonic Materials, and the Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the University of Bath, used a special white-light laser built in-house and directed it through several opti- cal components to put a twist on the beam. The twisted laser beam then hits a nano-scopic U-shaped gold grating which serves as a template for the light, further twisting the beam in either a right or left-handed direction. The study, published in the journal Advanced Opti- cal Materials, demonstrates the technique as a proof of principle. Twisting Laser Light Offers the Chance to Probe the Nano-Scale