As a face of Spanish science, the Salvador Velayos Laboratory of Madrid’s Institute of Applied Magnetology (IMA), hidden behind a railway siding on a bumpy track just outside the city, is not outwardly distinguished. But inside the dilapidated industrial building a team of 23 researchers is producing some of the most successful advanced technology in the country.
Recent research and development projects include the use of fine magnetic threads to transmit data that can help prevent the failure of artificial heart valves, communication systems for drivers of high-speed trains who travel too fast to read conventional signals, and the use of microscopic nanoparticles to produce medical images.
