W&F September 2017

www.wealthandfinance-news.com 14 Wealth & Finance International - September 2017 a series of pure sounds. I expected to see, at best, a range of simple geometric patterns in the sand. But as I bent low over the membrane, watching the sand grains move, they suddenly began to jump up and form into a shape that strongly resembled an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph. At this point the antiquities inspector became very animated and we began to work as a team, taking photographs and changing the frequency of the tone. With each new sound a different hieroglyphic-like form emerged. In effect, each “hieroglyph” in the sand represented a sound made visible, a natural resonance of the sarcophagus. I knew then, within this simple technology, lay the essence of a new type of scientific instrument.” Following the events of 1997, John decided that his future lay in his passion for science and two years later, in 1999, he sold the Sound Electronics trading business and renamed his company Sonic Age Ltd, to begin researching methods of making sound visible. Now, after two decades of dedicated research and monetary investment, the result is a new type of scientific instrument called, “CymaScope”, with intellectual property protected by several patents in the UK and abroad. The instrument is attracting the attention of scientists worldwide, and just as the invention of the microscope and telescope opened new vistas in the fields of biology and astronomy, the CymaScope is revealing aspects of Nature that were previously invisible, in this case, the realm of sound. One scientist in particular, Dr. Sungchul Ji, who is based in the USA, was present at a lecture that John gave in Sofia, Bulgaria, in November 2016 to 120 scientists. Dr. Ji explained, “I found his lecture to be inspirational, so much so that upon my return to the USA I began to investigate how I could digitize this important new scientific tool, which would allow me and other scientists to analyze CymaGlyphs (the name given to sound patterns) quantitatively. I contacted John Stuart Reid and made suggestions as to how this might be possible. Astonishingly, within the space of only a few weeks, facilitated by the timely financial support provided by GreenMedInfo.com, Bonita Spring, FL, USA we were able to develop a digital method that allows any CymaGlyph to be analyzed numerically.” The first project chosen for the Digital CymaScope is to differentiate between healthy cells and diseased cells, which could lead to the development of a new diagnostic tool—a potential giant leap for medical science. Last year, Sonic Age Ltd also launched a CymaScope app for Apple iPhone, iPad and a large range of Android-powered devices that makes voice and music visible and is proving popular with the general public. But John also sees a future for the CymaScope as a children’s science toy for the 21st Century and the company is now planning the development of an accessibly priced child’s model. We asked John how it felt to win the Business Elite Award of Best in Acoustics Research for their Imaging Device: CymaScope, and what difference winning the award will make to Sonic Age Ltd in terms of future business? “We were thrilled to receive the award from Wealth & Finance News. I think it is fair to say that all individuals and organizations dedicating themselves to their passion and to excellence deserve recognition for their efforts, along with a full measure of acknowledgement of the difference that their work has made. We will continue refining the CymaScope instrument in the years to come and developing applications in fields as diverse as Astrophysics and Zoology. We have high hopes that the readers of Wealth & Finance News who have an interest in new technologies will connect with us and become involved in fulfilling the instrument’s full potential in the world of science and entertainment.” “We were thrilled to receive the award from Wealth & Finance News. I think it is fair to say that all individuals and organizations dedicating themselves to their passion and to excellence deserve recognition for their efforts, along with a full measure of acknowledgement of the difference that their work has made.”