Research Testbeds

Testbed 1: Human-Machine Interfaces

Near-infrared spectroscopy based biophotonic capability addresses the current limitations with sleep study instruments to sort sleep stages and detect sleep events. Textile fiber embedded sensors integrated into inner-socket environments provide simultaneous measurement of tactile forces, wetness, biopotentials and body heat and provide continuous monitoring for lower-limb prosthetic devices. ASSIST prototypes provide “self-powered” wearable sensors for correlating physiological end-points with exposure factors targeting respiratory health monitoring, diet management and medication compliance detection.

 

 

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Testbed 2: Canine-Machine Interfaces

Smart harnesses with sensing devices (biopotentials, bioimpedance, photoplethysmography, pulse oximetry, inertial measurement units) and actuators (acoustic transducers and vibrotactile buzzers) enable a computer assisted canine training system to close the loop between humans and canines during the operant conditioning process. The added respiratory sound sensors (microphones and e-stethoscopes) listen the correlation between sniffing/breathing/panting to understand olfactory detection behavior of canines to improve the working efficiency of scent detection dogs. The physiological sensing on guide dog puppy harnesses combined with environmental sensing on their collars provide a data collection infrastructure to inform the screening and selection process for guide dogs for the blind. The latest efforts are based on connecting canine harnesses with unmanned-air-vehicle based hyperspectral sensing capability to scan agricultural fields for pest detection

 

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Testbed 3: Animal Implants

Injectable physiological sensors (biopotential and biophotonic) overcome size-scale related limitations of surgically implantation. These devices are designed to monitor urban (pigeon) and farm (chicken/turkey) birds and endangered animals. These sensors are on track to achieve the first long-term physiological recordings related to the hibernation of dwarf lemurs of Madagascar, the only known hibernating non-human primate.

 

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Testbed 4: Plant Cyber-Physical Systems

Novel and low-cost electrochemical (leaf impedance), mechanical (growth rate) and optical (plant color) sensors placed on or near a plant provides continuous monitoring of plants’ stress response. We seek to understand the phenotypic expression of water stress and nutritional needs in crop plants and knowledge-based, optimized and automated delivery of water and fertilizers.

 

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Testbed 5: Insect Locomotion Control and Tracking

Externally applied neurostimulation navigates insect biobots in desired directions where the insects carry miniature radios and sensing devices (inertial measurement units, acoustic transducers, radio transceivers, bioimpedance electrodes). A cyberphysical sensor network of insect backpacks enable under-rubble exploration and mapping after natural disasters.

 

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Testbed 6: Mussel Monitoring

Freshwater mussels are endangered in North Carolina. We have developed systems to track their activity in order to identify specific stressors in their environment, such as pollution..

 

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