Capacitive Bio-Inspired Flow Sensing Cupula

Wissman, James; Sampath, Kaushik; Freeman, Simon E.; Rohde, Charles A.

doi:10.3390/s19112639

Cited by 36 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(123 reference statements)

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“…Water flow rate and direction can be accurately detected using these sensory hair cells. Such sensors can be mainly classified based on sensing method into piezoresistive effect [9,10], piezoelectric effect [11,12], capacitive principle [13][14][15][16], and ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMC) [17][18][19][20]. Two main factors that play a pivotal role in efficient flow biosensors are high sensitivity and resolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an Ultra-Sensitive and Flexible Piezoresistive Flow Sensor Using Vertical Graphene Nanosheets

et al. 2020

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This paper suggests development of a flexible, lightweight, and ultra-sensitive piezoresistive flow sensor based on vertical graphene nanosheets (VGNs) with a mazelike structure. The sensor was thoroughly characterized for steady-state and oscillatory water flow monitoring applications. The results demonstrated a high sensitivity (103.91 mV (mm/s)−1) and a very low-velocity detection threshold (1.127 mm s−1) in steady-state flow monitoring. As one of many potential applications, we demonstrated that the proposed VGNs/PDMS flow sensor can closely mimic the vestibular hair cell sensors housed inside the semicircular canals (SCCs). As a proof of concept, magnetic resonance imaging of the human inner ear was conducted to measure the dimensions of the SCCs and to develop a 3D printed lateral semicircular canal (LSCC). The sensor was embedded into the artificial LSCC and tested for various physiological movements. The obtained results indicate that the flow sensor is able to distinguish minute changes in the rotational axis physical geometry, frequency, and amplitude. The success of this study paves the way for extending this technology not only to vestibular organ prosthesis but also to other applications such as blood/urine flow monitoring, intravenous therapy (IV), water leakage monitoring, and unmanned underwater robots through incorporation of the appropriate packaging of devices.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an Ultra-Sensitive and Flexible Piezoresistive Flow Sensor Using Vertical Graphene Nanosheets

et al. 2020

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“…Liquid metals can also be used to make a capacitor encapsulated within soft materials and employed as a sensor to detect a stimulus to induce the capacitance change. Liquid metal-based capacitive sensors have been used to measure flow rate (Figure 16a) [95] and pressure [96,97]. In addition, the proximity effect around a liquid metal-based capacitive sensor can be used to detect the difference in distances from two electrodes (one is transmitter and the other is receiver) (Figure 16b) [98].…”

Section: Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…( a ) Capacitance of a liquid metal sensor changes depending on the flow rate of medium. Reproduced with permission from [95]; published by MDPI, 2019. ( b ) Capacitance change due to proximity can be used to detect the distance differences.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Soft and Deformable Sensors Based on Liquid Metals

Kim

Lee

et al. 2019

Sensors

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Liquid metals are one of the most interesting and promising materials due to their electrical, fluidic, and thermophysical properties. With the aid of their exceptional deformable natures, liquid metals are now considered to be electrically conductive materials for sensors and actuators, major constituent transducers in soft robotics, that can experience and withstand significant levels of mechanical deformation. For the upcoming era of wearable electronics and soft robotics, we would like to offer an up-to-date overview of liquid metal-based soft (thus significantly deformable) sensors mainly but not limited to researchers in relevant fields. This paper will thoroughly highlight and critically review recent literature on design, fabrication, characterization, and application of liquid metal devices and suggest scientific and engineering routes towards liquid metal sensing devices of tomorrow.

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“…Synthetic ALLs have received considerable attention in recent years, often consisting of stiffer materials such as metal or SU-8, 27,28 although softer variants have begun to emerge as well. [29][30][31][32][33] Whiskers are another source of inspiration stemming from biology. 24,29 In addition to velocity, similar cantilever beam-like sensors have been used to measure wall shear stress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Soft Material Flow Sensor for Micro Air Vehicles

Sundin

Kokmanian

et al. 2021

Soft Robotics

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To control and navigate micro air vehicles (MAVs) efficiently, there is a need for small, lightweight, durable, sensitive, fast, and low-power airspeed sensors. When designing sensors to meet these requirements, soft materials are promising alternatives to more traditional materials due to the large deformations they can withstand. In this article, a new concept of a soft material flow sensor is presented based on elastic filament velocimetry, which fulfills all necessary criteria. This technique measures flow velocity by relating it to the strain of a soft ribbon suspended between two static supports and subjected to a flow of interest. The ribbon is manufactured from polydimethylsiloxane and can be made piezoresistive by the addition of silver nanowires. With the described manufacturing method, the sensor can be made using common laboratory tools, outside of a clean room, significantly reducing its complexity. Furthermore, it can be operated using a simple and lightweight circuit, making it a convenient alternative for MAVs. Using a piezoresistive material allows for the flow velocity to be calibrated to the resistance change of the strained ribbon. Although certain challenges remain unsolved, such as polymer creep, the sensor has demonstrated its ability to measure flow velocities down to 4 m/s in air through experiments. A time-dependent analytical model is also provided. The model shows that the current sensor has a bandwidth of 480 Hz. Most importantly, the sensitivity and the bandwidth of the sensor can be varied strictly by modifying the geometry and the material properties of the ribbon.

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Capacitive Bio-Inspired Flow Sensing Cupula

Cited by 36 publications

References 70 publications

Development of an Ultra-Sensitive and Flexible Piezoresistive Flow Sensor Using Vertical Graphene Nanosheets

Development of an Ultra-Sensitive and Flexible Piezoresistive Flow Sensor Using Vertical Graphene Nanosheets

Soft and Deformable Sensors Based on Liquid Metals

A Soft Material Flow Sensor for Micro Air Vehicles

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