The Health and Environmental Systems Laboratory (HESL) was one of eight labs in the

Georgia Tech Research Institute The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit applied research arm of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. GTRI employs around 3,000 people, and was involved in nearly $1 ...

. In mid-2006, it was disbanded, and the staff were transferred to other parts of GTRI.

ELSYS The Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS) is one of eight labs in the Georgia Tech Research Institute and one of three labs under the Electronics, Optics, and Systems directorate. Among its research focuses are systems engineering, electronic warfa ...

, the largest lab within GTRI, received most of the personnel.

Overview

Researchers in HESL worked in biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics, in environmental assessment and remediation, and in the intersection between health and the built environment: green buildings, smart and sustainable urban neighborhoods, and healthy environments.

Organization and research areas

The Health Systems Division conducted research and development in the areas of diagnostic sensors,

biomarker In biomedical contexts, a biomarker, or biological marker, is a measurable indicator of some biological state or condition. Biomarkers are often measured and evaluated using blood, urine, or soft tissues to examine normal biological processes, ...

s, vision enhancement, materials characterization and delivery, and advanced

prosthetics In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...

. The Environmental Systems Division conducted research and development in the areas of air and water quality,

hazardous material Dangerous goods are substances that are a risk to health, safety, property or the Natural environment, environment during transport. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials (syll ...

s, sustainable facilities, and environmental sensors. It was also involved in energy-related issues as they impact the environment. The Food Processing Technology Division conducted significant research in improving the production and quality of food while minimizing the environmental impacts of the industry. This program was designed to enhance the productivity of Georgia’s

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

and the competitiveness of Georgia’s

food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing takes many forms, from grinding grain into raw flour, home cooking, and complex industrial methods used in the mak ...

, applying

computer vision Computer vision tasks include methods for image sensor, acquiring, Image processing, processing, Image analysis, analyzing, and understanding digital images, and extraction of high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical ...

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

, plant ergonomics,

biosensor A biosensor is an analytical device, used for the detection of a chemical substance, that combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector. The ''sensitive biological element'', e.g. tissue, microorganisms, organelles, cell rece ...

s, and

wearable computer A wearable computer, also known as a body-borne computer, is a computing device worn on the body. The definition of 'wearable computer' may be narrow or broad, extending to smartphones or even ordinary wristwatches. Wearables may be for general ...

technology. The Occupational Safety and Health Division offered programs of technical assistance on-site at private and public facilities, along with research and development of cost-effective solutions.

External links

HESL official website
* ttp://www.fptd.gatech.edu/ GTRI Food Processing Technology Division (FPT) {{GTRI HESL