23/04/03

Solar surgery hots up

By: Helen Pearson

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<h1>Solar surgery hots up</h1>
<h4>By: Helen Pearson</h4>
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<TD class=tabletext><IMG src="http://c96265.r65.cf3.rackcdn.com/2002aug_sun_nasa.jpg"></TD></TR></TABLE>Concentrated sunlight could be used as an alternative to expensive laser surgery in poor countries, according to new research.<BR><BR>Scientists working in Israel’s Negev desert are using a curved, plate-sized dish to focus sunlight to a point, concentrating it up to 15,000 fold. A mirror directs the light into a fibre-optic cable, which could carry the beam from a hospital roof to the operating theatre.<BR><BR>As well as reducing the costs of some forms of surgery, the technology could also offer a cut-price way to harness solar power, by concentrating sunlight onto small solar panels.<BR><BR><a href="http://www.nature.com/nsu/020812/020812-12.html" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to <em>Nature Science Update</em> story</A> <BR><BR>Photo credit: NASA</p>

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<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/news/solar-surgery-hots-up/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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Concentrated sunlight could be used as an alternative to expensive laser surgery in poor countries, according to new research.

Scientists working in Israel’s Negev desert are using a curved, plate-sized dish to focus sunlight to a point, concentrating it up to 15,000 fold. A mirror directs the light into a fibre-optic cable, which could carry the beam from a hospital roof to the operating theatre.

As well as reducing the costs of some forms of surgery, the technology could also offer a cut-price way to harness solar power, by concentrating sunlight onto small solar panels.

Link to Nature Science Update story

Photo credit: NASA