| Contents | SUNFEST
Projects - Summer 2004
Made possible through the support of the National Science Foundation through a REU grant and with the support of Microsoft, Inc. |
|
| The
Implementation of the Segway Robotic Mobility Platform (Rmp) For
Autonomous Navigation by Benjamin Bau Abstract Full Paper Slides Experimental
Development of the Mobile Vestibular Platform Visualization of Reachability
Graphs in Hybrid Systems Conquering
Tissue-Sensor Contact Intervertebral
Disc Imaging and Analysis Protocol Enhancement Development
of a Novel Therapy For Ocular Neovascularization BIntegrated
Electrochemical Gating of Carbon Nanotube Fets for Biosensing
Applications The Hand-Held
Breast Cancer Detector: A 2-D Phased Array System Minimization
of Distortion And Increasing Resolution In Wide-Angle Viewing
by Means of Actuated Micro-Mirrors Porphyrin
Thin Film Dielectrics |
Project Abstracts SUNFEST 2004
A difficult problem in robotics is enabling a robot to navigate autonomously through a previously unexplored indoor environment. Part of this difficulty stems from the stringent requirements on the mobility and the power of a robotic platform. It is necessary that the platform has sufficient maneuverability to operate in a cluttered area and that it has sufficient power to carry the necessary sensors to operate autonomously. The Segway Robotic Mobility Platform (RMP) combines unusually high mobility with the power to carry a sufficient number of sensors to navigate in an indoor environment. This paper discusses how, using a laser range finder, a stereo camera, and the Segway's on-board encoders, the Segway RMP can be enabled to perform tasks of autonomous navigation while navigating through an area with obstacles. Experimental Development of the Mobile Vestibular Platform NSF Summer Undergraduate Fellowship in Sensor Technologies
Cable robotics is an emerging research field in robotics which has the potential to be applied to a variety of practical purposes and tasks. Applications dealing with short distance transportation of hazardous materials as well as the handling of and interaction around these materials are several of the major tasks that can be handled efficiently and safely by cable robots, reducing the risk to employee lives as well as the need for more complex methods to accomplish the same task. Environmental monitoring of deep mines, hostile environments, and other locations inaccessible or uninhabitable by humans is another very realistic and viable application of cable robotics, allowing for the current sensory information about a remote location to be known at any time. Because of the simplistic nature of the design of cable robots, entire networks can also be implemented in order to cooperate with one another with the purpose of completing a particular task and reacting to sudden changes in sensory data extracted from the surrounding environment. The particular robot being developed in this project is a versatile, cable driven robotic platform capable of movement in a three-dimensional space, and is named the mobile vestibular platform (MVP). It is designed to be versatile in that the system can easily accommodate several different sensory functions, while also being low budget and light weight. The particular implementation used allows for high precision motor control and thus higher precision in the movement of the robotic platform through space, while a Matlab program handles calculation tasks and remote operation of the platform from a central processing PC. Visualization of Reachability Graphs in Hybrid Systems
ABSTRACT Hybrid Systems is a control technique that is used in robotics. It combines sets of continuous differential equations with a discrete system that adjusts them based on multiple criteria, and uses this to simulate or control a system. The BIOCharon team takes this technique and uses it to simulate biological systems. These systems can contain many variables, and the end result of the simulation is a state space that is not easily understandable or viewable. GGV (short for Gridded Graph Viewer) is a program that allows a user to do specific "reachability analysis" on the system as well as presents a good visualization for it. Conquering Tissue-Sensor Contact NSF Summer Undergraduate Fellowship in Sensor Technologies
Current imaging diagnostic techniques demand better detection methodology to non-invasively monitor the angiogenesis of breast cancer. One of the emerging imaging techniques is to use near infrared (NIR) light to image the biophysical signs of cancerous tumor cells using optical spectroscopy. Two of the problems that arise from implementing such a method are optode-tissue coupling while fitting the contours of the breast and pressure equalization. The purpose of this project is to build upon the previous work in fabricating a device to counteract the two problems. Over the 10-week span of the SUNFEST program, an improved breast cancer detection probe has been designed, built, and validated. This new prototype introduces two new components: Poron Quick Recovery Polyurethane Foam and a rigid delrin backing plate. The foam allows localized articulation at specific sites to fit the contours of the breast while the rigid plate aids in equalizing the pressures. Another vital advance of this device is implementation of an improved photodiode with 9.7mm * 9.7mm active area, which permits a high signal-to-noise ratio. Experiments have been conducted to validate this prototype and they have shown promising results. The next stage will involve clinical trials in monitoring angiogenesis in-vivo. Intervertebral Disc Imaging and Analysis Protocol Enhancement
Scientists in human tissue research often use animal tissue as
alternative for human samples. Animal tissue samples are desired
for their low cost and greater availability compared to human
tissue. In human spine research, mouse, rat, and sheep intervertebral
discs are often used as mechanical models for the human disc.
They have proven effective models because they often posses mechanical
properties similar to human discs. However, no one has explored
whether those animal models are good geometric models of human
discs. If they are, it may establish an even stronger argument
for the use of these animal tissues as alternatives to human tissue.
An intervertebral disc imaging and analysis protocol was devised
at this lab, enabling the assessment of the geometric properties
of this disc. However, additional measurements were needed so
that more geometric properties could be examined. I set out to
improve and expand the original protocol so that it may be used
for this purpose. Development of a Novel Therapy For Ocular Neovascularization
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the developed Western World, affects over 10 million Americans. Intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) has been successfully used in the clinic to treat age-related macular degeneration and other similar neovascular diseases, but its mechanism of action is still unclear. However, this experiment sheds light on the subject and leads to a better understanding of the investigational therapy for human disease. It is hypothesized that TA inhibits development of neovascularization (NV) by reducing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). The goal of this project is to determine if TA decreases VEGF, a protein associated with the development of NV in AMD and other retinopathies. Integrated Electrochemical Gating of Carbon Nanotube Fets for Biosensing Applications NSF Summer Undergraduate Fellowship in Sensor Technologies Advisor: Dr. A.T. Charlie Johnson, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy ABSTRACT Carbon nanotubes have emerged as the leading candidate of electronic materials used for future nanoscale chemical and molecular sensors. Recently, nanotube field effect transistors (CNFETs) have been exploited as biodetectors of the thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3). Although significant progress has been towards the development of actual nanotube based sensor devices, the next challenge is to integrate the devices into a single chip. Numerous gate configurations to CNFETs have been proposed, but few have been shown to be effective, and even fewer can be integrated to a chip. An electrolytic "tip" gate design has been shown to be more effective than the conventional backgate geometry. The drawback to the "tip" gate geometry lies in the fact that an external electrode is required to gate the devices. In this paper, a novel integrated gate design is proposed. Lithographically patterned electrodes on the chip surface are fabricated to effectively gate CNFET devices. The Hand-Held Breast Cancer Detector: A 2-D Phased Array System NSF Summer Undergraduate Fellowship in Sensor Technologies ABSTRACT Presently, there are well known non-invasive methods in the detection of breast cancers. The most important include Magnetic resonance, X-ray, and Ultra-sound mammograms. However, due to their high cost, inconvenience, and time considerations, alternative methods are emerging. The Hand-Held Breast Cancer Detector (HHBCD) is designed to be an inexpensive and convenient way to replace other mammograms for some circumstances. It can detect small size tumors (1mm) up to 1 cm into the skin. The goal of this project is to expand the detection range to 3 cm. The device is based on the interference of two paired anti-phase near-infrared light (NIR) sources, a Photomultiplier tube detector (PMT) that detects a portion of this light, and a 2-D phased array method that discerns inequalities in the breast tissue. Most of the efforts put into the device were dedicated to improved signal interpretation, a more effective light source driver, and a shut-off protection system. The discussed individual parts were built but time did not permit them to be integrated. Successful completion of the device could prove useful for quick tumor detection and as a localization tool. Minimization of Distortion And Increasing Resolution In Wide-Angle Viewing by Means of Actuated Micro-Mirrors NSF Summer Undergraduate Fellowship in Sensor Technologies
Mirrors of numerous shapes, including spherical and paraboloidal
mirrors, have been employed for many different commercial and
industrial uses, despite their tendency to distort and warp images.
When the object in consideration is planar and oriented normal
to the optical axis of the mirror, the amount of distortion introduced
by a paraboloidal mirror is less than the distortion introduced
by a spherical mirror. Previous research has found an optimal
mirror shape that minimizes distortion of images of planar objects
normal to their optical axes.
New advances in technology are creating numerous power electronic
applications. These applications require a substantial amount
of energy that can be produced using capacitor technologies. Novel
molecular dielectrics are now being incorporated in capacitors
to achieve high energies, and high polarizability.
Activity monitors are convenient tools for extracting empirical
information about a person's physical activity patterns, which
may be the source of various health issues. The purpose of the
"dynamometer" under development in this research effort
is to monitor physical activity that impacts on the emerging issue
of childhood obesity, and which also can be related to the development
of bone deficiencies such as osteoporosis. The dynamometer consists
of a piezoelectric sensor that is embedded into a shoe insole
and is connected to a microcontroller for data acquisition and
analysis. The analysis of the signal results in information about
the magnitude, frequency, and duration of a child's actions such
as running and jumping. An amplifier circuit amplifies the signal
produced by the sensor. The full implementation of signal processing
by the microcontroller was not completed due to time constraints.
|
