SCIENTISTS who gave the world the beer can widget, carbon fibre golf clubs and Concorde yesterday unveiled their latest creation - facial
reconstruction images.
Staff at the National Engineering Laboratory in East
Kilbride - which is known locally as ''the Nel'' and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year - are confident their latest discovery will
revolutionise surgery.
Scientists have been working with surgeons at St George's Hospital in London since 1987 to perfect the technique which should be
available within a year.
Facial Image manager Stephen Marshall said: ''We start off by building up a grid of a face on the computer which is transferred on to a video recorder before being turned into a 3-D model.
''This wrap-around model allows surgeons to plan their operations on a screen before carrying them out.
''This allows patients to see exactly what they are getting and saves money through reducing the amount of operations required,'' explained Mr Marshall.
''We are also working to create images of entire bodies so that all kinds of operations can be planned in this way before they are carried out.
''This type of digital imaging can also have a wide range of other uses. Our team has already embarked on a series of projects with the Ministry Of Defence where body armour and helmets can be designed for perfect fits.
''These images can also be used for personal security cards and in forensic medicine to help identify bodies.
''Once the technique is perfected you will no longer have to get fitted up for clothes by a tailor. A scanner will take your measurements before you can order the perfect fit.''
The East Kilbride plant, which employs some 250 people, has a prestigious client portfolio, including Mercedes Benz, BP, Shell and Daimler.
The Nel's inventions range from the beer can widget, which provided perfect pints from the can, to supplying materials for Concorde, the world's first supersonic
commercial plane.
Jointly owned by European giant Siemens and TUV - the Nel now has access to markets all across the globe. Some of the most sophisticated testing equipment in the world can be found within the East Kilbride site.
This includes a seismic platform which can simulate earthquakes more powerful than the one which rocked the Japanese city of Kobe in 1995.
Director and general manager Bill Paton believes that his company, which was privatised in 1995, is now in a position to capitalise on their discoveries throughout the next millennium.
''We are renowned for our ground breaking advances in offshore and process engineering but now our latest wave of cyberspace technology will take us on to a new platform.
''At the moment we are carrying out work for transnational organisations in Europe, China, US and Australia and our profits are up 12% on last year.
''Our role here at East Kilbride is set to expand into the next century by using our innovations to become commercial technology consultants to our present clients and whoever else may be able to use our designs and products.''
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