In a world first, scientists at Australia’s largest scientific research facility can now cut days and even weeks of their research time through the use of an innovative new technology. 

Connected to one of the Australian Synchrotron’s most successful research stations, the Maia x-ray detector can produce high definition images that show detail to one thousandth of a millimetre. 

“This technology is a real advantage to scientists studying major diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s not only because of its ability to see minute things in such great detail, but the speed at which it produces data,” said the Director of the Australian Synchrotron, Professor Keith Nugent.  

“In science, time is in many ways a researcher’s worst enemy. With Maia, we can now obtain scientific results in a much shorter timeframe and this means researchers can save time and money.”  

Important commercial applications for the technology include enabling medical researchers to investigate the role of metal ions in diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and understanding ore formation processes to give the minerals industry intelligence that aids their search for new reserves of gold.

The Maia detector, the most advanced of its kind in the world, is the result of an international collaboration between the Australian Synchrotron, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US.

In June 2011, the Maia detector won a prestigious R&D 100 Award from online industry magazine R&D. The award recognises the 100 most significant technological products to enter the world market each year.

“The R&D 100 Award is like the Academy Awards of science, so this was a great honour for the scientists and engineers involved,” said Professor Nugent. 

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