Liwei Lin (Advisor)

Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) arrays provide a compact and scalable platform for synthesizing programmable acoustic pressure fields. In this project, we investigate PMUT-enabled programmable microparticle self-assembly in fluidic environments using dynamically controlled ultrasonic standing waves. Unlike conventional cymatics, which relies on fixed vibrational modes of a single acoustic source, individually addressable PMUT elements enable active control of frequency, phase, and amplitude to generate reconfigurable pressure landscapes. By tailoring...

We have used PMUTs for 3D imaging using air based arrays with a computational imaging scheme. This project advances the ultrasound-based imaging techniques by using the compressed sensing scheme. The goal is to achieve 3D imaging with a low number of transducers and minimum computation for various applications in robotics, wearable electronics, autonomous navigation, and medical diagnostics.

Project is currently funded by: Member Fees

As smart devices dominate larger areas of day-to-day life, their ability to communicate with human users must improve. While skin is the largest organ in the human body, relatively few efforts have gone toward developing more adaptive ways to utilize the "sense of touch" compared to visual and auditory signaling. The mechanical stimulus to generate a sense of touch by the embedded mechanoreceptors in the skin at different depths has been created in previous ways via vibratory actuators, requiring bulky and specialized offset masses and motors. In this project, we are investigating the...

Safe and deformable soft batteries are highly desirable for applications such as mobile electronics and conformable systems on irregular surfaces. Conventional Li-ion batteries rely on rigid packaging and hermetic sealing to block moisture intrusion and prevent leakage of toxic, flammable organic electrolytes. In contrast, recently reported deformable or stretchable batteries provide good conformability but suffer rapid performance degradation in ambient conditions, limiting their operating lifetimes. The fundamental challenge is that mechanical softness and gas impermeability are mutually...