Powering Wearable Microelectronics
Wearable low power biometric devices and body sensor network systems (BSNs) such as heart, respiration, and activity monitors are popular devices that are predicted to increase tenfold by 2018. This project focused on biomechanical energy harvesting from rib cage expansion using piezoelectric materials and frequency up conversion to power wearable microelectronics.
Multidrug Resistant Superbugs
Antibiotics have been extensively used to treat patients with infectious diseases for the last 70 years. As these drugs have been used widely for long time, the organisms the antibiotics are designed to kill have adapted to them, making the drugs less effective. This can be prevented through selective separation, identification and eradication using fluorescent, magnetic multifunctional carbon dots.
Economical Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts
Global warming is a significant threat to modern society caused by the burning of fossil fuels in order to meet everyday energy requirements. Renewable clean energy solutions such as solar and wind power are not as high-producing as carbon-based sources, but hydrogen-based electric energy is a viable alternative. This project focuses on finding alternatives to platinum for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.
Smartphone-based Ophthalmic Screening for Glaucoma
Lumos can allow patients to quickly screen for glaucoma and detect the disease in its early stages. All the patient needs is a smartphone, and the app will identify the glaucoma risk rapidly and automatically.
Lab-On-A-Chip Device for Disease Diagnostics
RNA-based viruses and bacteria have been sources of large-scale epidemics and pandemics, most notably Ebola, SARS, influenza, hepatitis C, HIV, and the Zika Virus. Normal detection of these biological agents requires multiple lab processes. This project aims to develop a fully integrated lab-on-a-chip device to accomplish this.