“These sensors could be used to help develop prosthetics that respond to a user’s movement and provide feedback when in use”
North Carolina State University researchers have used silver nanowires to develop wearable, multifunctional sensors that could be used in biomedical, military or athletic applications, including new prosthetics, robotic systems and flexible touch panels. The sensors can measure strain, pressure, human touch and bioelectronic signals such as electrocardiograms.
“The technology is based on either physical deformation or “fringing” electric field changes. The latter is very similar to the mechanism used in smartphone touch screens, but the sensors we’ve developed are stretchable and can be mounted on a variety of curvilinear surfaces such as human skin,” says Shanshan Yao, a Ph.D. student at NC State and lead author of a paper on the work.
“These sensors could be used to help develop prosthetics that respond to a user’s movement and provide feedback when in use,” says Dr. Yong Zhu, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State and senior author of the paper. “They could also be used to create robotics that can ‘feel’ their environment, or the sensors could be incorporated into clothing to track motion or monitor an individual’s physical health.”
The researchers built on Zhu’s earlier work to create highly conductive and elastic conductors made from silver nanowires. Specifically, the researchers sandwiched an insulating material between two of the stretchable conductors. The two layers then have the ability – called “capacitance” – to store electric charges. Pushing, pulling or touching the stretchable conductors changes the capacitance. The sensors work by measuring that change in capacitance.
“Creating these sensors is simple and low cost,” Yao says. “And we’ve already demonstrated the sensors in several prototype applications.”
For example, the researchers employed these sensors to monitor thumb movement, which can be useful in controlling robotic or prosthetic devices. The researchers also demonstrated an application to monitor knee movements while a test subject is running, walking and jumping.
“The deformation involved in these movements is large, and would break a lot of other sensor devices,” Zhu says. “But our sensors can be stretched to 150 percent or more of their original length without losing functionality, so they can handle it.”
The researchers also developed an array of sensors that can map pressure distribution, which is important for use in robotics and prosthetics applications. The sensors exhibit a quick response time – 40 milliseconds – so strain and pressure can be monitored in real time.
The Latest on: Nanowire Sensors
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Nanowire Sensors” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Nanowire Sensors
- How do fingerprint sensors work?on April 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Despite our best efforts, locks are susceptible to picking and passwords to hacking. So, how should we protect our stuff? The answer might lie in biometrics. Once a feature of Sci-fi cinema ...
- Sensors Bolster Army Prowesson April 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The Terrain Commander from Textron Corporation provides the basis for the U.S. Army's unattended ground sensor (UGS) Future Combat Systems. The sensor assembly is equipped with a variety of optical, ...
- Army Looks Forward on Forward-Looking Infrared Sensorson April 22, 2024 at 4:59 pm
As the U.S. Army produces third-generation forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensors, officials are exploring emerging capabilities that might be integrated into fourth-generation systems. FLIR ...
- Bioadhesive for sticking sensors on squishy squidon April 18, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The lives of most sea creatures remain largely mysterious. Bound to boats or land, researchers rely on sensors to collect data and piece together how marine animals move through their environments.
- Plant sensors could act as an early warning system for farmerson April 16, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Using a pair of sensors made from carbon nanotubes, researchers from MIT and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) have discovered signals that reveal when plans are ...
- Superconducting electronics show promise for future collider experimentson April 11, 2024 at 5:00 pm
They can also begin to develop integrated superconducting nanowire sensors and electronic systems. These innovations will serve as the foundation for a wide spectrum of experiments, spanning a ...
- 10 Things to Know About How Glass-Break Sensors Work to Protect Your Homeon April 11, 2024 at 8:54 am
Q: I’m looking to install a home security system, and the kit I’m looking at includes optional glass-break sensors. But how do glass-break sensors work, and are they different from motion sensors?
- Aqara’s best presence sensor just got even betteron April 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm
That’s where presence sensors come in, and there are few more impressive than the Aqara FP2. This presence sensor has been an impressive piece of kit ever since it was released, but just ...
- Innovative sensing platform unlocks ultrahigh sensitivity in conventional sensorson April 4, 2024 at 5:00 pm
EPs -- specific conditions in systems where extraordinary optical phenomena can occur -- can be deployed on conventional sensors to achieve a striking sensitivity to environmental perturbations.
- New topological metamaterial amplifies sound waves exponentiallyon March 27, 2024 at 9:14 am
It provides a novel form of amplification of mechanical vibrations, which has the potential to improve sensor technology ... specifically a nanowire. The model is famous for predicting the ...
via Bing News