Whitley M35 Workstation at IMEC OnePlanet Research Center

Date: 11^th February 2026

IMEC OnePlanet Research Center purchased their first M35 Workstation in 2021 and have this year added a second unit. The organisation is involved in creating sensing technology to be applied in two domains: 1) Health, Nutrition, & Behaviour and 2) Agriculture, Food, & Environment.

Rachel Armstrong, Researcher at IMEC, explained,

“Since our sensors need to function in unique environments (within the human body, bathrooms, farms, greenhouses, etc), the M35 allows us to mimic these specific environmental conditions (gas content, temperature, and humidity) within the workstation.

Accurately mimicking our final testing environment has allowed us to troubleshoot problems with our sensors long before they reach their final application. It saves us significant time and design iterations.

Our electronic setups are complex and often large. The M35's features allow a lot of flexibility in our experimental design.

Additionally, the oxygen profiling feature and the ability of the entire chamber to reach body temperature have been essential in designing ingestible sensors (ie smart pills). We can mimic the transit of our smart pills throughout the gastrointestinal tract by adjusting the oxygen content over time at 37°C.”

Rachel Armstrong
Researcher
IMEC OnePlanet Research Center