In this project, we present a novel wireless power sharing scheme using magnetic resonance coupling (MRC-WPSS), where a single transmission system can simultaneously transmit power and control the distributed between two entirely passive receiving sides. This will not only facilitate the device operation without on-board battery but also provides the ability to control the said device based on the amount of power it receives.

Endotracheal intubation is a common medical practice for patients requiring upper airway management. An important parameter while performing intubation is the depth of insertion of the tube. However, most current solutions rely on vision-based feedback for successfully performing remote intubation. We propose a novel application of chip-less RF sensing technology to identify the intubation tube from the exterior and serve as an additional feedback modality, independent of the visual aid.

Ionic pressure sensors are made of ionic compounds suspended in a suitable solvent mixture. When external pressure is exerted on them, it is reflected as a change in electrical parameters due to physical deformation and a redistribution of ions within the sensing medium. Variations in the composition and material of the sensing medium result in different pressure sensors with varying operating ranges and sensitivity. This work presents the design and fabrication procedure of a novel soft-pressure sensor for a very low-pressure range (<20 mm Hg) using Aloe vera gel and Glycerin as the solvent for the ionic sensing medium.

A novel gold foil-based kirigami strain sensor fabricated specifically for strain measurement in biomedical catheters. The kirigami design pattern allowed high stretchability the sensor maintained its strain sensitivity without electric failure for over 350% of radial strain. The kirigami strain sensor integrated on the balloon catheter is a promising solution in the medical industry in providing quantitative data and real-time feedback monitoring of the balloon structure to ensure a safe and efficient procedure.

The feasibility of using chip-based RFID designs as wireless sensor tags open a wide range of application possibilities in the field of robotics. However, multi-step lithography manufacturing and/or MEMS techniques are often required for the industrial-grade fabrication of such sensors. In this paper, we present a simple, home-based, two-step fabrication process to produce chipless RF-based wireless sensors.

A stretchable capacitive pressure sensor with controlled microstructures embedded into a cylindrical elastomeric mold, fabricated as a pressure sensing sleeve. The sensing sleeve can be readily deployed onto intrabody catheter balloons for pressure measurement at the site. The thin and highly conformable nature of the pressure sensing sleeve captures the pressure change without hindering the functionality of the foley catheter balloon.

Omnidirectional steerable forceps in keyhole procedures provide significant advantages in assisting medical practitioners with better motion coordination, improved dexterity, precision control, and reachability. However, most existing forceps lack the sense of interactive proprioception, imposing physical and cognitive challenges to the medical practitioners during manipulation. This project presents a handheld steerable surgical forceps with two degrees-of-freedom equipped with skin-like soft stretchable strain sensors to determine the orientation and improve the perception.

Wearable devices are gaining recognition for their use as a biosensor platform. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is one of the sensing techniques that utilizes wearable sensors as its primary data acquisition system. It measures the impedance or resistance at the peripheral (skin) level and calculates the conductivity distribution. Howvever, modern-day EIT devices are still costly and bulky. We propose a novel low-cost kirigami-based wearable device that has soft PEDOT: PSS electrodes for sensing skin impedances.

The sense of touch and perception play a vital role to close the feedback loop of contact modulations. This work discusses the design and development of a novel hybrid sensorized soft-matter structure which has active contact modulation capabilities to ensure better and firm contact in rigid robotic grippers. An integrated multi-taxel piezoresistive tactile sensor which can confer to both rigid and soft surfaces easily was developed as a feedback device.

Most surgical tools rely on direct visual feedback to guide the clinician through a procedure. However, a tactile sense of palpation or device-tissue interactions would greatly assist in improving the control and safety with better precision. This work explains the design, fabrication, and working of one such soft tactile sensor made using a flexible piezoresistive material and conductive ink, and then wrapped with a biocompatible hydrogel polymer matrix for safer human-tissue interactions.

The ability to sense and measure object properties based on touch is known as tactile sensing. The flexibility and dexterity of soft robots can be fully explored, only with efficient tactile feedback from the environment or the objects the robot interact with. This work discusses the development of a soft fabric based piezoresistive tactile sensor, the related calibration experiments, procedures and some application examples like orientation estimation and tactile feedback control.

A novel strategy for tracking the fingertips of a human hand by combining two distinct sensors - Leap motion controller (vision based tracking) and Flex sensors (non-vision based tracking). We describe the theory and implementation of a sensor fusion algorithm using Kalman filter, and present the experimental results that shows the proposed method having an edge in minimizing the effects of occlusion in a visual based tracking method. Increased accuracy and reliable finger-tip tracking was achieved with <5% error.