Engineering TV : MEMS

NWUAV MEMS Fuel Injection System

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:45:00 GMT

The NWUAV MEMS Fuel Injection System uses Hewlett Packard Ink Jet technology to atomize a variety of fuels including JP5, JP8 and logistical fuels used in internal combustion engines. The system will allow longer duration flight times and reduced (green house gas) emissions as a result of the ability to digitally control the fuel delivery and droplet size to a level much smaller than is conventionally possible using carburetors and COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) fuel injectors. For more information, visit NWUAV Propulsion Systems.

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Microstaq MEMS Valve Technology

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT
Microstaq valves, based on MEMS semiconductor architecture, embody an enabling technology that transforms your product or operation with reduced weight, size and power consumption. Within the Microstaq valve system, sensors gather information from the environment by measuring mechanical, thermal, biological, chemical, optical, and magnetic phenomena. The semiconductor “brain” processes the environmental information and sends commands to the MEMS valve which regulates flow or pressure in that system. Microstaq valves easily integrate with other semiconductor components providing a more advanced, integrated and intelligent control system. For more information, go to: Microstaq.

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Micromuscle

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:00:00 GMT
Electroactive polymers (EAP) are an emerging class of materials with many new revolutionary properties. One of the main advantages of electroactive polymers is the possibility to electrically control and fine-tune their behavior and properties. Using Micromuscle EAP technology, a wide variety of small moving components can be constructed. The possibility to create moving structures and exert force enables new functionality for medical devices and other life science products. For more information, go to: Micromuscle.

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Miniature Machine Tools

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:18:00 GMT
Prof. Ozdoganlar’s research focuses on processes and equipment for micro-manufacturing. Research projects at Carnegie Mellon's Department of Mechanical Engineering include experimental, theoretical, and numerical (simulation) studies. The processes of interest include mechanical micromachining process, where micro-scale milling, drilling, and grinding tools as small as 10 µm in diameter are used within precision and miniature-machine-tool platforms. The research projects in his laboratory include fundamental understanding of the process mechanics (the effect of workpiece crystallography, modeling micromilling forces); micro-tool characteristics (micro-tool failure and wear, enhanced micro-tool fabrication); dynamic behavior of micromilling (analytical modeling of micro-endmill dynamics, dynamics of micromilling process); and applied projects on micromachining (fabrication of biomedical devices, micro-scale electrodes and molds, micromachinability of materials). Current research is aiming to create nano-scale (50 nm) structures using a new form of material removal.

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CMU Micromachining

CurtisEllzey — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:23:00 GMT
At Carnegie Mellon University, Professor Burak Ozdaganlar's research focuses on micro- and meso- scale manufacturing. The interest in small components and small features has been rapidly increasing. Biotech, biomedical, optics, aerospace, military, defense, security, automotive, microelectronics packaging, and communication industries have been increasingly demanding miniature products and miniature features in larger products. This demand mainly arises from the potential advantages of miniaturization: multiple functionality; weight, space, and material savings; strategic placement/configuration availability; increased reliability; and other, currently non-existent capabilities. The development of complex micro devices necessitates efficient and economical creation of sophisticated mechanical structures with 3D geometrical features made from a diverse selection of materials.

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Magnetically Actuated Micro-Robots

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:15:00 GMT
Students at Carnegie Mellon University have employed external magnetic fields to controllably position and orient a magnetic micro-robot. They demonstrated this approach in the 2007 and 2008 RoboCup Nanogram Demonstrations. Imagine a mechanical Pelé or David Beckham six times smaller than an amoeba playing with a “soccer ball” no wider than a human hair on a field that can fit on a grain of rice. RoboCup is an annual international competition designed to foster innovations and advances in artificial intelligence and intelligent robotics by using the game of soccer as a testing ground. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hopes that a competition between the smallest robots in RoboCup history will show the feasibility and accessibility of technologies for fabricating MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS), tiny mechanical devices that are built onto semiconductor chips and are measured in micrometers (millionth of a meter). The CMU team uses five electromagnetic coils surround a working volume, wherein the magnetic micro-robot resides. Four of the coils are in-plane with the micro-robot, and one coil provides an orthogonal clamping force. Large DC magnetic field gradients are developed using the coils, which employs a force onto the micro-robot. The robot also experiences a magnetic torque; combined with a pulsed magnetic field, the micro-robot experiences a continuously rocking motion. This, in effect, induces stick-slip behavior in the robot resulting in translation. By varying the pulsing frequency, control of micro-robot velocity is achieved.

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Inertial Sensors and Accelerometers

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:43:00 GMT
Louis Ross, President & CEO of Virtus Advanced Sensors, discusses his company's inertial sensors and accelerometers as well as their applications, including a version of the Sony PlayStation Portable handheld game console that replaces the analog 'nub' with a 3-axis accelerometer for tilt and motion control. Virtus Advanced Sensors is a fabless sensor company commercializing inertial sensor technology developed using MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) and micro-machining methods. The company maintains a patent portfolio of over 80 registered US and European patents MEMS inertial sensor technology, which includes multi-axis accelerometers and gyros and integrated motion sensors. Virtus' true "single-chip" solution to producing multi-axis MEMS inertial sensors is an industry first, and will lead to the production of the world's first single chip 6-axis MEMS motion sensor.

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Implantable Materials and Advanced Ceramics

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:25:00 GMT
The aliphatic polycarbonates created by Cornell chemist Geoffrey Coates are safe and strong enough to be used in medical implants and devices. They're also used as extremely effective binders for the creation of non-oxide ceramics, which are often used as components experiencing high compressive stresses such as cam rollers in diesel engines, valves, seals, rotating parts and wear plates, abrasive powder blast nozzles, cutting tool tips, and more.

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BioMEMS

Terry Knight — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:21:00 GMT
Most engineers are familiar with MEMS, Microelectromechanical Systems, and their common applications in cars, displays, optical switching and pressure sensors. Shuvo Roy, Ph.D., and his team plan to bring this technology to medicine and through a very aggressive project to artificial organs.

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