Abstract

The ever-growing need for surveillance over various geographical locations has necessitated the development of novel monitoring approaches. While drones are still considered the most suitable aerial surveillance equipment, new techniques based on use of kites such as kite aerial photography (KAP) are becoming popular. This paper deals with one such novel approach, termed as KiteCam, which provides a low-cost and versatile method of performing local aerial surveillance for a prolonged period. The camera, processor, battery and power management module have been designed and fabricated such that the total weight of the system is approximately 42 grams. Hence, the system is light enough to be carried by most kites under normal weather conditions, thus offering a wide variety of applications with minimal energy consumption and concealed surveillance options. The test flights have been successfully conducted and observed in terms of stability and duration. The images obtained from the flight tests have been analyzed and verified for consistency and clarity. Finally, some modifications have also been mentioned regarding the future generations of the device.

Abstract

In this work, a large area, low cost and flexible polymer/paper-based double touch mode capacitive pressure sensor is demonstrated. Garage fabrication processes are used which only require cutting, taping and assembly of aluminum (Al) coated polyimide (PI) foil, PI tape and double-sided scotch tape. The presented pressure sensor operates in different pressure regions i.e. normal (0 to 7.5 kPa), transition (7.5 to 14.24 kPa), linear (14.24 to 54.9 kPa) and saturation (above 54.9 kPa). The advantages of the demonstrated double touch mode capacitive pressure sensors are low temperature drift, long linear range, high pressure sensitivity, precise pressure measurement and large die area. The linear output along with a high sensitivity range (14.24 to 54.9 kPa pressure range) of the sensor are utilized to wirelessly control the movement of a robotic arm with precise rotation and tilt movement capabilities.

Abstract

Windows whose transmittance can be modified by an applied voltage have previously been fabricated from soft, transparent elastomers sandwiched between ITO coated glass and a compliant, silver nanowire top electrode.1 In this contribution we extend the capabilities of the tunable window so that the optical transmittance can be varied spatially over the window according to voltage signals applied to different segments of the back electrode of the window, defined by patterning of individually addressable electrodes. The actuation signals are controlled using TTL-level input signals applied to high voltage switches. We also show that the spatially tunable window can be fabricated on a flexible substrate, such as PET, and the optical transmittance is not affected by bending of the substrate. The use of a polymer substrate not only increases possible applications of this class of voltage controlled light modulation device but also has the potential of reducing cost at an industrial scale by replacing more costly ITO coated glass substrate.

Abstract

We present detailed shape-based analyses to compare the performance of metal foil-based capacitive pressure sensors based on the shape of the diaphragm (top electrode). We perform a detailed analysis on the use of new material and deflection in various shaped diaphragms to act as a performance indicator for pressure-based capacitive sensors. A low-cost, recyclable, and readily available material is used to present an alternative to the expensive materials used in conventional pressure sensors. Diaphragms of five different shapes (circle, ellipse, pentagon, square, and rectangle) are fabricated and analyzed. Mathematical, FEM, and experimental tests are performed for capacitive sensors fabricated in five different shapes. The mathematically calculated deflection for each shaped diaphragm is compared with the results of the corresponding FEM simulations. Two different experiments are performed to verify …

Abstract

Various examples are provided for stretchable antennas that can be used for applications such as wearable electronics. In one example, a stretchable antenna includes a flexible support structure including a lateral spring section having a proximal end and at a distal end; a metallic antenna disposed on at least a portion of the lateral spring section, the metallic antenna extending along the lateral spring section from the proximal end; and a metallic feed coupled to the metallic antenna at the proximal end of the lateral spring section. In another example, a method includes patterning a polymer layer disposed on a substrate to define a lateral spring section; disposing a metal layer on at least a portion of the lateral spring section, the metal layer forming an antenna extending along the portion of the lateral spring section; and releasing the polymer layer and the metal layer from the substrate.

Abstract

A sensor system includes at least one sensor configured to detect at least one environmental parameter, a processor coupled to the at least one sensor, and a dissolvable polymer encasing the sensor system.

Abstract

Cantilevers are one of the most utilized mechanical elements for acoustic sensing. In comparison to the edge clamped diaphragms of different shapes, a single edge clamped cantilever makes an acoustic sensor mechanically sensitive for detection of lower pressure. The aspect ratio of cantilevers is one of the most important parameters which affect sensitivity. Herein, we present a mathematical, finite element method and experimental analysis to determine the effect of the aspect ratio on the resonant frequency, response time, mechanical sensitivity, and capacitive sensitivity of a cantilever-based acoustic pressure sensor. Three cantilevers of different aspect ratios (0.67, 1, and 1.5) have been chosen for sound pressure application to detect capacitance change. The cantilever with the smallest aspect ratio (0.67) has the highest response time (206 ms), mechanical sensitivity, and capacitive sensitivity (22 fF), which …

Abstract

Capacitive pressure sensors have several advantages in areas such as robotics, automation, aerospace, biomedical and consumer electronics. We present mathematical modelling, finite element analysis (FEA), fabrication and experimental characterization of ultra-low cost and paper-based, touch-mode, flexible capacitive pressure sensor element using Do-It-Yourself (DIY) technology. The pressure sensing element is utilized to design large-area electronics skin for low-cost prosthetic hands. The presented sensor is characterized in normal, transition, touch and saturation modes. The sensor has higher sensitivity and linearity in touch mode operation from 10 to 40 kPa of applied pressure compared to the normal (0 to 8 kPa), transition (8 to 10 kPa) and saturation mode (after 40 kPa) with response time of 15.85 ms. Advantages of the presented sensor are higher sensitivity, linear response, less diaphragm area …

Abstract

A method for producing a semiconductor device involves forming a first transistor having a silicon substrate and a gate, and forming a second transistor, having a germanium substrate, on top of the first transistor. The second transistor is formed by forming a first gate of the second transistor on top of, and electrically coupled to, the gate of the first transistor, bonding the germanium substrate to the first gate of the second transistor so that the bonding does not damage the first transistor, and forming a second gate of the second transistor on the germanium substrate.

Abstract

Current air pollution monitoring systems are bulky and expensive resulting in a very sparse deployment. In addition, the data from these monitoring stations may not be easily accessible. This paper focuses on studying the dense deployment based air pollution monitoring using IoT enabled low-cost sensor nodes. For this, total nine low-cost IoT nodes monitoring particulate matter (PM), which is one of the most dominant pollutants, are deployed in a small educational campus in Indian city of Hyderabad. Out of these, eight IoT nodes were developed at IIIT-H while one was bought off the shelf. A web based dashboard website is developed to easily monitor the real-time PM values. The data is collected from these nodes for more than five months. Different analyses such as correlation and spatial interpolation are done on the data to understand efficacy of dense deployment in better understanding the spatial variability and time-dependent changes to the local pollution indicators.