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Story URL: http://management.silicon.com/itdirector/0,39024673,39164004,00.htm

Photos: Cambridge boffins showcase tech of tomorrow
From bomb-sniffing chips to in-train entertainment systems...

By Gemma Simpson

Published: Monday 13 November 2006

If you think atomic clocks should be consigned to the labs, think again.

This atomic clock provides a more accurate alternative to businesses where milliseconds matter.

Most existing time-keeping systems use a rubidium clock, which can gain or lose one second over a 30-month period. A GPS signal is used to correct these clocks.

But Dominic Mikulin, CEO of OptiSynx, the company behind the clock, said GPS signals can be disrupted by weather, environmental conditions or warped using basic equipment, leaving the system open to tampering.

This new type of atomic clock allows secure and accurate time-keeping without the vulnerability of the existing GPS-based correction, he claimed.

Photo credit: Gemma Simpson