26 research outputs found
Intelligent Sensors for Human Motion Analysis
The book, "Intelligent Sensors for Human Motion Analysis," contains 17 articles published in the Special Issue of the Sensors journal. These articles deal with many aspects related to the analysis of human movement. New techniques and methods for pose estimation, gait recognition, and fall detection have been proposed and verified. Some of them will trigger further research, and some may become the backbone of commercial systems
SSTAC/ARTS review of the draft Integrated Technology Plan (ITP). Volume 8: Aerothermodynamics Automation and Robotics (A/R) systems sensors, high-temperature superconductivity
Viewgraphs of briefings presented at the SSTAC/ARTS review of the draft Integrated Technology Plan (ITP) on aerothermodynamics, automation and robotics systems, sensors, and high-temperature superconductivity are included. Topics covered include: aerothermodynamics; aerobraking; aeroassist flight experiment; entry technology for probes and penetrators; automation and robotics; artificial intelligence; NASA telerobotics program; planetary rover program; science sensor technology; direct detector; submillimeter sensors; laser sensors; passive microwave sensing; active microwave sensing; sensor electronics; sensor optics; coolers and cryogenics; and high temperature superconductivity
Proceedings of the 2018 Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) International Congress
Published proceedings of the 2018 Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) International Congress, hosted by York University, 27-30 May 2018
Biological building blocks for 3D printed cellular systems
Advancements in the fields of tissue engineering, biomaterials, additive manufacturing, synthetic and systems biology, data acquisition, and nanotechnology have provided 21st-century biomedical engineers with an extensive toolbox of techniques, materials, and resources. These “building blocks” could include biological materials (such as cells, tissues, and proteins), biomaterials (bio-inert, -instructive, -compatible, or -degradable), soluble factors (growth factors or small molecules), and external signals (electrical, chemical, or mechanical). “Forward engineering” attempts to integrate these building blocks in different ways to yield novel systems and machines that, by promoting new relationships and interactions among their individual components, are greater than the sum of their parts. Drawing from an extensive reserve of parts and specifications, these bio-integrated forward-engineered cellular machines and systems could acquire the ability to sense, process signals, and produce force, and could also contain a countless array of applications in drug screening and delivery, programmable tissue engineering, and biomimetic machine design.
An intuitive demonstration of a biological machine is one that can produce motion in response to controllable external signaling. In contrast to traditional machines that use external energy to produce an output, muscle cells can be fueled by glucose and other biomolecules. While cardiac cell driven biological actuators have been demonstrated, the requirements of these machines to respond to stimuli and exhibit controlled movement merit the use of skeletal muscle, the primary generator of actuation in animals, as a contractile power source. Here, we report the development of 3D printed hydrogel “bio-bots” powered by the actuation of an engineered mammalian skeletal muscle strip to result in net locomotion of the bio-bot upon applied electrical stimulation. The muscle strips were composed of differentiated skeletal myofibers in a matrix of natural proteins, including fibrin, that provide physical support and cues to the cells as an engineered basement membrane. The hierarchical organization, modularity, and scalable nature of mature skeletal muscle fibers (which can be combined in parallel to increase force production, for example), lends itself to “building with biology.”
Few systems have shown net movement from an autonomous, freestanding biological machine composed of skeletal muscle, and even fewer have attempted to incorporate multiple cell types for greater functionality. Modular and flexible platforms for fabrication of such multi-cellular modules and their characterization have been lacking. We also present a modular heterotypic cellular system, made up of multi-layered tissue rings containing integrated skeletal muscle and motor neurons embedded in an extracellular matrix. Site-specific innervation of a group of muscle fibers in the multi-layered tissue rings allowed for muscle contraction via chemical stimulation of motor neurons with glutamate, a major excitatory mammalian neurotransmitter, with the frequency of contraction increasing with glutamate concentration. The addition of the nicotinic receptor antagonist tubocurarine chloride halted the contractions, indicating that muscle contraction was motor neuron-induced. We also present a thorough characterization and optimization of a co-culture system that harnesses the potential of engineered skeletal muscle tissue as the actuating component in a biological machine through the incorporation of motor neurons, and creates an environment that is amenable to both cell types and prime for functional neuromuscular formation.
With a bio-fabricated system permitting controllable mechanical and geometric attributes on a range of length scales, our novel engineered cellular system can be utilized for easier integration of other modular “building blocks” in living cellular and biological machines. We are poised to design the next generation of complex biological machines with controllable function, specific life expectancy, and greater consistency. In the future, we envision that this system can be used for applications beyond bio-robotics and muscular actuators; as a functioning heterotypic co-culture, the muscle- neuron arrangement is also a highly relevant machine for the study of neuromuscular diseases and related drug toxicity studies. These results could prove useful for the study of disease-specific models, treatments of myopathies such as muscular dystrophy, and tissue engineering applications
Research and Creative Activity, July 01, 2021-June 30, 2022: Major Sponsored Programs and Faculty Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Foreword by Bob Wilhelm, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development:
This booklet highlights successes in research, scholarship and creative activity by University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during the fiscal year running July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022.
It lists investigators, project titles and funding sources on major grants and sponsored awards that were active during the year; fellowships and other recognitions and honors bestowed on our faculty; books, chapters and creative literature published by faculty; performances, exhibitions and other examples of creative activity; patents and licensing agreements; and conference presentations. In recognition of the important role faculty play in the undergraduate experience at Nebraska, this booklet notes the students and mentors participating in the Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experience (UCARE) and the First-Year Research Experience (FYRE) programs.
Increasing impact through research and creative activity is one of the six core aims of the N2025 strategic plan. A few measurements of progress made this year:
• UNL achieved a record 328.9 million.
• Industry sponsorship supported 6.36 million in licensing income.
I want to thank the Nebraska Research community for its willingness to collaborate, mentor and redefine success in research and creative activity. Your leadership is paving the way for future growth and providing an unparalleled educational experience. At Nebraska, it is the people who make the place.
Because of your dedication and expertise, Nebraska is positioned to solve some of the world’s most wicked problems. I am impressed by your commitment to the Grand Challenges initiative, a strategic investment of up to 5 Million or More
Awards of 4,999,999
Awards of 999,999
Early Career Awards
Arts and Humanities Awards of 50,000 to 5,000 to $49,999
Patents
License Agreements
National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Teams
Creative Activity
Books
Recognitions and Honors
Journal Articles
Conference Presentations
UCARE and FYRE Projects
Glossar
2011, UMaine News Press Releases
This is a catalog of press releases put out by the University of Maine Division of Marketing and Communications between January 3, 2011 and December 30, 2011