Description
Many biological species found in nature are equipped with extraordinary sensingsystems that work on diverse sensing principles. Some of these biological sensors
demonstrate a range of multifaceted functionalities that exceed the sensing
capabilities of most human engineered sensors. The fundamental motivation of my research work has been to study the ubiquitous yet novel sensing principles and nanoengineering of the biological sensors in nature and apply those lessons to design micro and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) sensors to
target a specific application. This talk will describe how through a biomimetic
design I developed 1. Inner ear stereocilia inspired soft-polymer NEMS structures
for artificial cochlea applications 2. Self-powered MEMS flow sensors inspired by
neuromasts in blind cavefishes for use in intravenous drug infusions 3. Whisker-
inspired ultrasensitive MEMS flow sensors and experimental validations that prove
enhancement in signal-to- noise ratio of the sensor. In addition, the talk will also
present the development and characterization of flexible and stretchable single and bundled PVDF nanofiber sensors and origami-inspired energy harvesters.
Applications of such soft-polymer flexible sensors in myoelectric prosthetics and
biomedical devices will be illustrated. The translational roadmap to bring some of
these lab-developed biomimetic MEMS sensors to commercialization and formation of a start-up company will be outlined.
| Periode | 9-apr.-2018 |
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