Liwei Lin (Advisor)

Research Advised by Professor Liwei Lin

Lin Group:  List of Projects | List of Researchers

Biomimetic, Polymeric Transistor-Based Biosensor Technology

Jim C. Cheng
Albert P. Pisano
Ming C. Wu
Liwei Lin
2009

The goal of this research is the creation of robust, flexible, polymer sensors and circuits fabricated partially from the low cost biopolymer, chitosan, the deacetylated form of chitin which is the second most abundant polyssacharide in nature. Chitin is found in crustaceans, insects, bacteria and fungi. The sensors will detect diatomic gases and DNA to more complex macro molecules (e.g. exotoxins) in a fluidic or dry environment. Polymer-nanoparticle (e.g. Ge) hybrid films allow for development of robust polymer thin-film transistors and, with optimization of the hybrid film,...

Chitosan as a MEMS Engineering Material

Jim C. Cheng
Albert P. Pisano
Liwei Lin
2006
Since the beginning of civilization, there has been a thrust to better ourselves, to enhance our performance and capabilities. With nature as a template, a variety of sensors were created. As technology improved, artificial sensors have mostly surpassed their natural counterparts in sensitivity and size except in several specific areas, one being infrared sensing. The Melanophila acuminata, also known as the jewel beetle, is one of ...

High-Voltage Water-Scarce Hydrogel Electrolytes Enable Mechanically Safe Stretchable Li-ion Batteries

Peisheng He
Jong Ha Park
Yingkai Jiao
Rushil Ganguli
Yigen Huang
Ashley Lee
Christine Heera Ahn
Monong Wang
Yande Peng
Yu Long
Chun-Ming Chen
Zihan Wang
Ziting Tian
Baoxia Mi
Ana Claudia Arias
Chao Fang
Anju Toor
Liwei Lin
2025

Soft actuators with unique mechanics have gained significant interests for unique capabilities and versatile applications. However, their actuation mechanisms (usually driven by light, heat, or chemical reactions) result in long actuation times. Reported magnetically actuated soft actuators can produce rapid and precise motions, yet their complex manufacturing processes may constrain their range of applications. Here, the “bone-in-flesh” is proposed that constructs combining rigid magnetic structures encapsulated within soft polymers to create untethered magnetic soft actuators. This...

Lin Lab: Stretchable Battery Can Survive Even Extreme Torture

April 21, 2025
The lithium-ion battery can heal itself after being cut in half April 21, 2025 by Charles Q. Choi | Article Published in IEEE Spectrum

Researchers integrated a battery and circuit into a self-healable electronic system capable of recovering from being cut through by a razor blade.

A new...

Lin Lab: UC Berkeley Engineers Create World’s Smallest Wireless Flying Robot

March 28, 2025
March 28, 2025 by Kara Manke | Berkeley News

Like a bumblebee flitting from flower to flower, a new insect-inspired flying robot created by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, can hover, change trajectory and even hit small targets. Less than 1 centimeter in diameter, the device weighs only 21 milligrams, making it the world’s smallest wireless robot capable of controlled flight.

“Bees exhibit remarkable aeronautical abilities, such as navigation, hovering and pollination, that artificial flying robots of similar scale fail to do,” said...

Megan Teng

Graduate Student Researcher
Mechanical Engineering
Professor Liwei Lin (Advisor)
Ph.D. 2027 (Anticipated)

Megan Teng is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley, specializing in MEMS, sensor design, and machine learning. Her research focuses on PMUT-based volumetric environment sensing. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and International Business from National Taiwan University and is a recipient of the Katherine & James Lau Fellowship.

Zihan Wang

Postdoctoral Researcher
Mechanical Engineering
Professor Liwei Lin (Advisor)
PostDoc 2024 to present

Zihan Wang received his Ph.D. degree in Data Science and Information Technology at Tsinghua University in 2024. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Liwei Lin's lab focusing on liquid metal-based sensors and actuators.

BPNX1036: Enhanced Gas Sensing with Machine Learning (New Project)

Yuan Gao
Wei Yue
2025

Accurate and real-time gas detection is crucial for applications ranging from environmental monitoring to industrial processes. Traditional methods are often limited by low accuracy, slow response times, and high costs. This project introduces a scalable machine learning fusion system that integrates sensor fusion techniques to enhance detection performance. With encoder-decoder architectures and a decision fusion model, our approach significantly improves the accuracy of carbon dioxide sensing, achieving a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 2.97% while reducing response and recovery...

BPNX1034: Biological Bone Age Assessment via PMUTs

Nikita Lukhanin
Fan Xia
Sean Isomatsu
Megan Teng
Bo Jiang
Jean-Daniel Zanone
2025

It has been well established that the bone age of a child can be estimated by using X-ray, CT, MRI, and other large medical imaging devices. While other less expensive and non-radioactive methodology use ultrasonography, these devices are bulky and often require trained technicians to use properly. This project introduces a low-cost, miniaturized device for bone age assessments by microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technologies in the form of a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (pMUT). By integrating Aluminum nitride (AlN) into our 5 mm pMUT, we are capable of...