In basic and applied research, the progress of the Low Temperature Laboratory is the result of new technology. New experimental approaches based on homemade innovative instruments to bridge some critical gap have provided the central starting point. The combinations of nuclear cooling devices are examples of innovations that have provided the competitive scientific edge.
Similarly, pioneering development work on SQUID arrays, covering the whole human head, has resulted in successful neuromagnetic brain research in Low Temperature Laboratory and elsewhere. The spin-off companies of the laboratory, for instance in the field of modern refrigeration, low-temperature instrumentation and human brain imaging, have shown competitiveness all over the world.
Mustekala Ky was founded as an academic spin-off from Helsinki University of Technology in 1989. The company was later integrated to Neuromag Oy (subsequently owned by Elekta ab), the worldwide market leader providing magnetoencephalography (MEG) devices for noninvasive brain imaging. In 2018, Elekta's MEG portfolio was sold to York Instruments focusing on advancing the science and clinical adoption of MEG.
Aivon is a company providing cryogenic sensors and laboratory electronics for ultrasensitive measurements founded in Helsinki in 2006. It is one of the leading providers of SQUID sensors (among other products) used in medical imaging.
BlueFors is a company specializing in cryogen-free dilution refrigerator systems founded in May 2008. It has successfully installed systems all over the world: EU, North America, Japan and Australia. Among these are customers from world-renowned universities and companies, with multiple orders delivered.
Picowatt (RV-elektroniikka) provides special instruments for measurement and control of ultra-low temperatures near to the absolute zero. It was founded in 1978.
Nanoway Cryoelectronics Oy is a company commercializing the top innovations created in the research of low-temperature physics in Finnish universities. It was founded in 2005.
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