Camcon Takes Aim at Medical Industry

Demonstrates World's First Portable Valve for Medical Applications

19 January 2004 -- Cambridge, UK -- Camcon Technology, the inventor and developer of the Camcon binary actuator, today launched the world's first portable, bi-stable pinch valve. The new low power valve will aid patient mobility and accurate dosing of medicines under microprocessor control.

The Camcon bi-stable pinch valve has been specifically developed for applications in the medical sector. Its unique features allow timed dosing or extraction of a liquid or gas or any other automatic or manual action controlling fluid delivery or disposal.

In comparison to existing valve designs, the small size and energy-efficiency of the Camcon valve enables its complete portability.

The bi-stable pinch valve incorporates a discrete fluid channel, creating a sterile flow environment, critical for medical applications. All active components of the valve are fully isolated from the liquid or gas being manipulated.

The swinging magnetised bi-stable armature is able to pinch the tube open or closed depending on the position of the armature. The highly-efficient pinching action increases the valve's reliability, preventing encrustations from blocking the channel.

As the bi-stable valve requires very little power to operate, it can be powered for long periods of time from a battery and has the potential to aid patient mobility during the recovery period.

"Until now, the medical sector has had to rely on big, energy inefficient and fixed installations", said Wladyslaw Wygnanski, inventor of the Camcon binary actuator and Managing Director, Camcon Technology. "We hope that our cell battery operated bi-stable pinch valve will break the ground for medical solutions helping patients to be more comfortable and mobile as long as automatic flow controlling device is needed."

The bi-stable pinch valve is based on the core principles of the Camcon binary actuator. The high speed, low energy consumption, low heat dissipation and long life features of the Camcon binary actuator mean that it is can be implemented in a limitless variety of physical forms.
Current application areas in which the company is working include automotive, aviation, agriculture, gas and liquid control, oil production and robotic control.

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About Camcon
Based in Cambridge, UK, Camcon Technology is a small fast growing company focused on the research and development of the Camcon binary actuator. Camcon binary actuating technology has been 15 years in development and is the invention of Camcon founder Wladyslaw Wygnanski.

The high-speed, low energy consumption, low heat dissipation and long life characteristics of the Camcon binary actuator mean that it has applications in a whole new range of areas, as well as being a replacement for existing actuator and valve technologies.

Camcon Technology licenses its technology to customers, typically on a field-of-use basis. The company develops pre-production prototypes for customers on a consultancy basis and then hands over designs either to its customers to manufacture in volume, or to a manufacturing partner.

Camcon is funded by ACUS Management Partners, an active management venture capitalist that specialises in funding early stage technology companies. For further information see: www.acus.co.uk.