Performance of Smart Materials-Based Instrumentation for Force Measurements in Biomedical Applications: A Methodological Review

The introduction of smart materials will become increasingly relevant as biomedical technologies progress. Smart materials sense and respond to external stimuli (e.g., chemical, electrical, mechanical, or magnetic signals) or environmental circumstances (e.g., temperature, illuminance, acidity, or humidity), and provide versatile platforms for studying various biological processes because of the numerous analogies between smart materials and biological systems. Several applications based on this class of materials are being developed using different sensing principles and fabrication technologies. In the biomedical field, force sensors are used to characterize tissues and cells, as feedback to develop smart surgical instruments in order to carry out minimally invasive surgery. In this regard, the present work provides an overview of the recent scientific literature regarding the developments in force measurement methods for biomedical applications involving smart materials. In particular, performance evaluation of the main methods proposed in the literature is reviewed on the basis of their results and applications, focusing on their metrological characteristics, such as measuring range, linearity, and measurement accuracy. Classification of smart materials-based force measurement methods is proposed according to their potential applications, highlighting advantages and disadvantages

Contribution au micro-actionnement multi-stable piloté par radiations optiques

In this work, a bistable mechanism based on antagonistic pre-shaped double beams was proposed. Employing the proposed bistable mechanism, a quadristable micro-actuator was designed. ln order to validate the quadristability of the device, a meso-scaled prototype was fabricated from MDF by laser cutting. After the quadristability was experimentally confirmed, a quadristable micro-actuator was realized on SOl wafer using DRIE technique. Strokes for inner row and outer row were reduced to 300 µm and 200 µm respectively. For the actuation of the quadristable micro-actuator,laser heated SMA elements with deposited Si02 layer were used to realize the optical wireless actuation. With the help of a laser beam steering micro-mirror, both inner row and outer row were successfully actuated. ln order to further reduce the stroke, a bistable actuator with stroke reducing structure was designed and a prototype eut from MDF was tested. Bistability was validated and a stroke of 1µm was experimentally achieved. Based on this bistable module, a multistable nano-actuator, which contains four parallel coupled bistable modules,was designed and simulated. The simulated result have indicated that it was capable of outputs 16 discrete stable positions available from 0 nm to 150 nm with a step of 10 nm between two stable positions.Cette thèse traite le sujet du micro-actionnement multistable employant des radiations optiques pour atteindre les différentes positions offertes par le micro-actionneur. Dans le cadre des travaux réalisés, un mécanisme bistable reposant sur un principe de doubles poutres préformées situées en position antagoniste est proposé, et, sur cette brique élémentaire, un micro-actionneur quadristable a été conçu. Afin de valider le principe de fonctionnement de micro-actionneur, des procédés de fabrication Laser (sur le matériau « médium - MDF») puis DRIE (sur un wafer SOI de silicium) ont été utilisés. Sur le prototype en silicium, permettant une réduction des courses du rang interne et du rang externe du micro-actionneur, celles-ci ont été fixées à 300 µm et 200 µm respectivement. L’actionnement à distance de ce micro-actionneur a été prouvé en utilisant le chauffage laser d’un élément actif en Nitinol structuré par un dépôt de SiO2, ceci générant un effet « deux sens » de l’élément actif permettant d’annuler la charge sur les poutres du micro-actionneur une fois celui-ci déclenché puis en position stable. L’utilisation d’un banc expérimental incluant une membrane MEMS de balayage laser a permis de démontrer la quadristabilité du micro-actionneur sur 90 000 cycles. Afin de réduire davantage la course de ce micro-actionneur, des concepts de dispositifs de réduction de course ont été développés pour démontrer, à partir de prototypes fabriqué en MDF par usinage laser, la capacité à atteindre une course de 1 µm. Enfin, à la suite de ces travaux de réduction de course, un concept de nano-actionneur multistable a été proposé. Ce nano-actionneur est composé de quatre modules bistables liés et disposés en parallèle pour offrir 16 positions discrètes sur une course rectiligne. Les simulations de cet actionneur montrent la possibilité d’atteindre les 15 positions espacées de 10 nm sur une course de 150 nm

EUROSENSORS XVII : book of abstracts

Fundação Calouste Gulbenkien (FCG).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)

Recent Application in Biometrics

In the recent years, a number of recognition and authentication systems based on biometric measurements have been proposed. Algorithms and sensors have been developed to acquire and process many different biometric traits. Moreover, the biometric technology is being used in novel ways, with potential commercial and practical implications to our daily activities. The key objective of the book is to provide a collection of comprehensive references on some recent theoretical development as well as novel applications in biometrics. The topics covered in this book reflect well both aspects of development. They include biometric sample quality, privacy preserving and cancellable biometrics, contactless biometrics, novel and unconventional biometrics, and the technical challenges in implementing the technology in portable devices. The book consists of 15 chapters. It is divided into four sections, namely, biometric applications on mobile platforms, cancelable biometrics, biometric encryption, and other applications. The book was reviewed by editors Dr. Jucheng Yang and Dr. Norman Poh. We deeply appreciate the efforts of our guest editors: Dr. Girija Chetty, Dr. Loris Nanni, Dr. Jianjiang Feng, Dr. Dongsun Park and Dr. Sook Yoon, as well as a number of anonymous reviewers

Micro/Nano Structures and Systems

Micro/Nano Structures and Systems: Analysis, Design, Manufacturing, and Reliability is a comprehensive guide that explores the various aspects of micro- and nanostructures and systems. From analysis and design to manufacturing and reliability, this reprint provides a thorough understanding of the latest methods and techniques used in the field. With an emphasis on modern computational and analytical methods and their integration with experimental techniques, this reprint is an invaluable resource for researchers and engineers working in the field of micro- and nanosystems, including micromachines, additive manufacturing at the microscale, micro/nano-electromechanical systems, and more. Written by leading experts in the field, this reprint offers a complete understanding of the physical and mechanical behavior of micro- and nanostructures, making it an essential reference for professionals in this field

Abstracts on Radio Direction Finding (1899 - 1995)

The files on this record represent the various databases that originally composed the CD-ROM issue of "Abstracts on Radio Direction Finding" database, which is now part of the Dudley Knox Library's Abstracts and Selected Full Text Documents on Radio Direction Finding (1899 - 1995) Collection. (See Calhoun record https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/57364 for further information on this collection and the bibliography). Due to issues of technological obsolescence preventing current and future audiences from accessing the bibliography, DKL exported and converted into the three files on this record the various databases contained in the CD-ROM. The contents of these files are: 1) RDFA_CompleteBibliography_xls.zip [RDFA_CompleteBibliography.xls: Metadata for the complete bibliography, in Excel 97-2003 Workbook format; RDFA_Glossary.xls: Glossary of terms, in Excel 97-2003 Workbookformat; RDFA_Biographies.xls: Biographies of leading figures, in Excel 97-2003 Workbook format]; 2) RDFA_CompleteBibliography_csv.zip [RDFA_CompleteBibliography.TXT: Metadata for the complete bibliography, in CSV format; RDFA_Glossary.TXT: Glossary of terms, in CSV format; RDFA_Biographies.TXT: Biographies of leading figures, in CSV format]; 3) RDFA_CompleteBibliography.pdf: A human readable display of the bibliographic data, as a means of double-checking any possible deviations due to conversion