Kristofer S.J. Pister (Advisor)

We are developing a millimeter-square low-power wireless ADC capable of detecting and transmitting microvolt-level signals. This ADC offers potential for high-precision measurements in various domains, including biomedical, automotive, and IoT. The immediate objective of this project is to design a concurrent TMS-EEG-MRI system – a temporal and spatial imaging method that may unveil the intricacies of brain circuits. The high-precision ADC enables acquisition of EEG signals down to 10µV, while the wireless communication remains robust to heating and disturbance issues induced by MRI...

This project focuses on the design, fabrication, and development of a six-axis electrostatically levitated mass system. While electrostatic levitation has been previously demonstrated, the emphasis here is on achieving a compact form factor (10 cm × 10 cm), reduced power consumption (0.5 W), and increased levitated mass capacity. The proof mass is suspended using a system of actuation electrodes: four top electrodes provide levitation and control of vertical displacement (z-axis) as well as rotation about the x- and y-axes, while six side electrodes control lateral motion (x- and y-...

This project aims to develop a 130 nm mixed-signal CMOS system-on-chip (SoC) Test Vehicle that can subsequently be combined with thin-film piezoelectric materials to create an integrated, single-chip wireless IoT platform. The SoC, which includes a RISC-V microprocessor, a Bluetooth Low-Energy radio, and sensor interface electronics, is designed for minimal power consumption and wide operating voltage range. In addition to these core functions, the CMOS Test Vehicle will feature specialized interface circuits - including a sustaining amplifier for piezoelectric timing oscillators, a...

The HelioSwarm mission aims to characterize plasma turbulence, a fundamental process affecting space weather and cosmic phenomena, including interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and corotating interaction regions (CIRs) from the sun. These characterizations will be driven by nine spacecraft—one central hub and eight smaller nodes—for multi-scale, multi-point measurements of solar wind and interplanetary magnetic fields. The Electron Electrostatic Spectrograph will be located on the hub and it is the only direct electron measurement tool in the swarm. This project requires the...