Carnegie Mellon University

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Disney Enterprises, Inc.

University of Pittsburgh

Gary Keith Fedder

Nathan Scott Lazarus

Peter J Gilgunn

Lee E Weiss

Carmel Majidi

L Richard Carley

Christopher J Bettinger

Philip LeDuc

O Burak Ozdoganlar

Michael L Reed

Xinyan Cui

Douglas John Weber

Sarah Salah Bedair

Takashi Daniel Yoshida Kozai

Burak Ozdoganlar

Suresh Santhanam

Naser Naserifar

Ivan Poupyrev

Wilhelm Frey

Mustafa Emre Karagozler

Huikai Xie

Robert Andrew McGill

Zhiyu Pan

James A Bain

Chiung C Lo

William Messner

Xu Zhu

Rahul Panat

Derya Z Tansel

Jacob Brenneman

Altug Oz

Ioana Voiculescu

Congzhong Guo

Hasnain Lakdawala

A flexible and stretchable integrated electronic device includes a substrate having a stiffness gradient, wherein a rigid electronic device is embedded within the substrate. The stiffness gradient within the substrate prevents delamination at the interface between the substrate and the embedded device. The stiffness gradient is accomplished by providing at least two distinct zones in the substrate with uniform stiffness, with each zone decreasing in stiffness as in a distance from the embedded device increases, or the gradient is accomplished by having a zone with a varying stiffness.

Integrated electronic device with flexible and stretchable substrate

Disclosed herein are devices comprising stretchable 3D circuits and methods for fabricating the circuits. The fabrication process includes providing in the elastomeric polymer as a substrate and providing conductive interconnects within the substrate encased in an insulating polymer, such as polyimide, to provide a stiffness gradient between the conductive interconnects and the flexible elastomeric substrate. The circuit may be fabricated as a multilayer construction using three-dimensional pillars as vias and as external interconnects to the circuit.

Stretchable 3D-printed circuit boards

A bi-state bifurcation-based control system and method for nonlinear resonators, which utilizes a control loop to servo on the edge of the bifurcation jump, either at the maximum 'on' point prior to the Duffing bifurcation jump or along the rising edge of the parametric bifurcation.

Method and device for bi-state control of nonlinear resonators

A flexible and stretchable integrated electronic device comprising a substrate having a stiffness gradient, wherein a rigid electronic device is embedded within the substrate. The stiffness gradient within the substrate prevents delamination at the interface between the substrate and the embedded device. A method of fabricating an integrated electronic device having a stiffness gradient comprises applying a curing agent to an uncured polymer base material.

Apparatus and method for surgeon-assisted rapid surgical implantation of devices into soft tissue. The apparatus comprises several subsystems that enable the referencing of the spatial position and orientation of the device being implanted with respect to the soft tissue into which it is being implanted and then the controlled implantation of the device at a predefined speed with higher positional accuracy and precision and a reduction in soft tissue damage, provided by ultrasonic assisted motion, compared to current state-of-the-art implantation methods and devices. The method includes automated loading of the device being implanted into a clamping mechanism from a cartridge holding a number of implants, referencing of the device position and orientation, referencing of the surface of the tissue into which the device is being implanted, monitoring of the tissue motion, identification of desirable implant location based on the soft tissue profile, allowance of surgeon selection and fine adjustment of the final implant location, high-speed implantation, device release and implant actuator retraction.

Apparatus and method for implantation of devices into soft tissue

Methods of fabricating ultra-miniature, ultra-compliant probe arrays through spin coating, wherein a dissolvable material in hydrogel form is dispensed onto an assembled mold with wires. Once the dissolvable material is dispensed onto the mold, centrifuging spin casts the material by evaporating the solvent, forming a dried dissolvable polymer. Finally, a device is used with water to remove excess dissolvable material to obtain a dissolvable needle with wires.

Fabrication for ultra-compliant probes for neural and other tissues

The disclosure describes a direct skeletal attachment (DSA) device including a micro-miniature chainmail skin-to-DSA interface. The interface comprises various porous architectures for skin ingrowth and integration as barriers against pathogens. Failure of skin-to-DSA interfaces can occur due to mismatches in mechanical compliance between pliable skin and more rigid DSA interfaces. To address this problem, in embodiments disclosed herein is an interface having a gradient in mechanical compliance or link mobility, ranging from fully flexible, to less compliant, to rigid where it attaches to the main DSA body.

Microminiature chainmail interface between skin and a transcutaneous prosthetic device and a method of manufacture

There is provided a system and method for harvesting electrical energy from interaction with papers. The system comprising an electret disposed between a first electrode and a second electrode, and an interactive device connected to one end of the first electrode and one end of the second electrode to provide an electrical potential, the interactive device configured to receive the electrical potential by moving the second electrode relative to the electret for generating electrical energy. Interactive devices that can be activated by the generator can include a light-emitting diode, an electronic paper display, an infrared communication, and a buzzer.

Harvesting energy from interaction with papers

Methods, systems and apparatuses of ultra-miniature, ultra-compliant probe arrays that allows for design flexibility to match the stiffness of the tissue it is being applied to, such as the brain tissue, in all three axes (x, y and z), with interconnect cross section smaller than cell dimensions. Stiffness matching requires specific geometric and fabrication approaches, commonly leading to ultra-thin probe wires. Sizing of the electrodes for specific cell dimensions reduces glial formation. Further reduction in stiffness is obtained by incorporating different geometric features to the electrode, such as meandering the electrode wires. The small thickness and geometric features of the wires commonly result in very high compliance. To enable effective insertion of the probes to the tissue, the present invention uses stiff biodisolvable and/or biodegradable polymers, including single use or combinations of carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, maltose, other sugar molecules, polylactic acid and its co-polymers.

Fabrication, methods, apparatuses, and systems for ultra-compliant probes for neural and other tissues

A method for fabrication of capacitive environment sensors is provided in which the sensor elements are integrated in a CMOS structure with electronics through the use of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication methods. Also provided are environment sensors fabricated, for example, by the method, and a measurement system using the environment sensors fabricated by the method. The described method includes etching away one of the metal layers in a CMOS chip to create a cavity. This cavity is then filled with an environment-sensitive dielectric material to form a sensing capacitor between plates formed by the metal adhesion layers or an array of contacts from other metal layers of the CMOS structure. This approach provides improved sensing capabilities in a system that is easily manufactured.

Method of fabricating a capacitive environment sensor

Apparatuses, systems, and methods utilizing capillary action and to control the movement or placement of liquids or other materials in micro-devices and nano-devices. In some embodiments, the present invention may be used to control polymer addition to micro-cantilevers and nano-cantilevers for biological sensing, chemical sensing, and other sensing. In other embodiments, the present invention may be used to deliver adhesives, dielectrics, chemo resistor materials, and other materials to micro-devices and nano-devices.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods utilizing capillary action

Method, apparatus, and system for micromechanical gas chemical sensing capacitor

A capacitive chemical sensor, along with methods of making and using the sensor are provided. The sensors described herein eliminate undesirable capacitance by etching away the substrate underneath the capacitive chemical sensor, eliminating most of the substrate capacitance and making changes in the chemical-sensitive layer capacitance easier to detect.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for micromechanical gas chemical sensing capacitor

Sensor devices and sensing methods are provided. A sensor device is provided two flow channels, each comprising a sensor, and analyte flow is alternated between the two channels such that the sensors alternately serve as a sensor and a reference, thereby increasing accuracy of the sensors. The device is useful, for example, in chemical sensing using a variety of sensor types including without limitation: chemiresistors, gravimetric sensors, optical sensors, among others. Related sensing methods also are provided.

Growing community of inventors

Turtle Creek, PA, United States of America

Gary Keith Fedder