Scientific Validation

In Dr. Hymel’s doctoral dissertation study, SA circuit designs, developed specifically for electrocardiology, the electrical functioning of the heart, underwent rigorous refinement, testing and evaluation. In the study, the ‘negative delay’ (temporal advance) of the analog signals achieved with SAT was investigated and the results analyzed with respect to the temporal advance achieved as well as the fidelity of the temporally-advanced output signals. The research project, completed in 2010, exceeded all of its objectives, having successfully demonstrated the ability of SAT to temporally advance a range ‘known’ constructed test signals (pulses and sine waves) and human electrocardiographic (ECG) signals (heart beats) from cardiac patients. The project resulted in a doctorate dissertation (Hymel CM, Application of Signal Advance Technology to Electrophysiology, University of Texas Health Science Center – Houston, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, August 2010), which was downloaded over 300 times in the first three years following its release. Download dissertation

Technical Validation

The results of the study were summarized in a peer-reviewed engineering article which discusses the theoretical basis, practical implementation and examples of potential applications for SA technology. The manuscript, submitted for review in March 2011, was published as the feature article in the IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine, in the 3rd Qtr.

Hymel et al, IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine, 3Q, 11 (3), 10-25.

Signal Advance Technology

Signal Advance Technology Document

In recent years, a physical phenomenon referred to as Negative Group Delay (NGD), demonstrated in simple electronic circuits, has been shown to temporally advance the detection of analog waveforms. Specifically, the output is advanced in time relative to the input, as the time delay through the circuit is negative. As such, the circuit output precedes the complete detection of the input signal. We refer to this as Signal Advance (SA) technology. Success in the development and implementation of this technology has important consequences for the development of novel interventional methodologies in cardiology and neurophysiology as well as significant potential in a broader range of both medical and non-medical areas of application.

Author: Dr. C. Hymel