PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

HKUST researchers develop a versatile, reconfigurable, and damage-tolerant single-wire sensor array

HKUST researchers develop a versatile, reconfigurable, and damage-tolerant single-wire sensor array
2024-01-12
(Press-News.org)

Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a sensor array design technology inspired by the human auditory system. By mimicking the human ear's ability to distinguish sounds through tonotopy, this innovative sensor array approach could optimize the application of sensor arrays in fields such as robotics, aviation, healthcare, and industrial machinery.

Traditional sensor arrays face challenges such as complex wiring, limited reconfigurability, and low damage resistance. The design developed by the HKUST team, led by Associate Professor YANG Zhengbao from the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, addresses these challenges by assigning a unique frequency to each sensor unit and using the sensor unit signal to modulate the amplitude of the frequency signal, similar to the distinct frequencies processed by hair cells in the human cochlea.

These amplitude-modulated signals of different frequencies are then superimposed onto a single conductor, and a Fast Fourier Transform algorithm is finally used to decipher the individual signals. This design allows the reduction of a large number of output wires from the conventional row-column setup to a single wire, without sacrificing functionality. This innovative method allows the decoding system to process information from all sensor units simultaneously, which is a stark contrast to the existing implementation of time-division multiplexing for sensor array decoding.

The research team leverages a redundancy design in the sensor connection network to ensure continuous operation, even when parts of the array's connection network are damaged. This design feature is inspired by the multiple synaptic connections between hair cells in the internal ear and neurons, providing a backup should one pathway fail. This redundant design not only enhances the system's damage tolerance but also enables greater reconfigurability, a feature that is particularly useful in rapidly changing environments such as responsive robotics or adaptable wearable devices. The Lego-style modular design could also lead to cost savings in maintenance, as it is easier to repair than traditional multi-wire sensor arrays.

The proposed sensor array technology offers a multitude of potential applications. Its flexibility and robustness make it ideally suited for integration into curved surfaces and operation in harsh environments. It can adapt to the shape and multimodal sensing requirements of the surface while providing real-time data. In practical terms, the team has demonstrated the sensor array's functionality in two primary applications—a pressure sensor array and a pressure-temperature multimodal sensor array. The latter is particularly noteworthy for its potential to monitor critical parameters in medical prosthetics, thereby enhancing comfort and safety for users. The team has also underscored the technology's potential for monitoring strain distribution in airplane wings, which could contribute to the development of safer and more fuel-efficient aircraft.

Despite its many advantages, this sensor array design does encounter some limitations. The number of sensor units in the array is constrained by the operational bandwidth of the circuits, and the potential for miniaturization is limited by the size of the off-the-shelf electronic components required for each sensor unit. Looking ahead, the HKUST team aims to further simplify the sensor array's design and seek commercial partnerships to bring this technology to the market.

The team's findings, realized in collaboration with  City University of Hong Kong, were recently published in the journal Science Advances in an article titled "One-wire reconfigurable and damage-tolerant sensor matrix inspired by the auditory tonotopy." Dr. LONG Zhihe and Mr. LIN Weikang are the first authors of this work.

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
HKUST researchers develop a versatile, reconfigurable, and damage-tolerant single-wire sensor array HKUST researchers develop a versatile, reconfigurable, and damage-tolerant single-wire sensor array 2 HKUST researchers develop a versatile, reconfigurable, and damage-tolerant single-wire sensor array 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Between building and unbuilding: An interdisciplinary design approach to cohabitation, material cycles, and traditional ecological knowledge

Between building and unbuilding: An interdisciplinary design approach to cohabitation, material cycles, and traditional ecological knowledge
2024-01-12
In recent history, built environment practices have accepted a paradigm which underlines the land’s static quality, prioritizes immediate utility, and consequently adopts design processes that inevitably accelerate assimilation. With the capitalist propensity to obtain control and enhance efficiency, those processes nevertheless privilege certain cultures while rejecting other forms of knowledge or living specific to the land. The design discourse, confronted with the rising pressure of global climate challenges and environmental inequity, suggests a ...

Team explores role of STING – stimulator of interferon genes – in body’s innate immune system

Team explores role of STING – stimulator of interferon genes – in body’s innate immune system
2024-01-12
When pathogens attack the body, the innate immune system goes to work protecting against the invading disease. The innate immune system is the first line of defense. It detects precisely what the virus or bacteria is and then activates the proteins that fight the pathogens. Wanting to better understand how the body’s innate immune system works, a team of scientists undertook a study of STING, a protein that plays a vital role in innate immunity. The team provides quantitative results, showing how STING, an acronym for stimulator of interferon genes, works in innate immune signaling.  Their work is published in the journal Nature Communications on Jan ...

New Antarctic research shows that Adélie penguins must balance the benefits and costs of riding on sea ice during their long-distance migration

New Antarctic research shows that Adélie penguins must balance the benefits and costs of riding on sea ice during their long-distance migration
2024-01-12
Petaluma, CA--Newly published research by Petaluma-based non-profit, Point Blue Conservation Science, shows how Adélie penguins within the Ross Sea, Antarctica use sea ice in their annual migrations. The results were published in the journal Ecology, a publication of the Ecological Society of America.  Adélie penguins, though flightless, can undertake extraordinary migrations like their flying relatives, traveling thousands of kilometers out to sea from their on-land breeding colonies in Antarctica, tracking daylight and food during the long Antarctic winter. Many other species are known to use wind ...

Antibiotic use is not the only driver of superbugs

2024-01-12
For the first time, researchers have analysed the impact of antibiotic use on the rise of treatment-resistant bacteria over the last 20 years in the UK and Norway. They show that while the increase in drug use has amplified the spread of superbugs, it is not the only driver. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oslo, the University of Cambridge, and collaborators, conducted a high-resolution genetic comparison of bacteria. They compared over 700 new blood samples with nearly 5,000 ...

Two common biomarkers predict heart risk in asymptomatic childhood cancer survivors

Two common biomarkers predict heart risk in asymptomatic childhood cancer survivors
2024-01-12
(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – January 11, 2024) Data from the St. Jude lifetime cohort study (St. Jude LIFE) revealed that two common biomarkers of cardiac function and damage could better predict cardiomyopathy within five years than routine clinical evaluations in high-risk, asymptomatic childhood cancer survivors. Early detection through screening using these two biomarkers may lead to earlier treatment to prevent and protect against further heart damage. The findings were published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.    Cardiomyopathy is often asymptomatic at onset and thus “invisible” to routine clinical evaluations. St. Jude ...

More than skin deep: A molecular look at the mechanisms behind pigmentation variation

More than skin deep:  A molecular look at the mechanisms behind pigmentation variation
2024-01-12
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have discovered key insights into the molecular basis of skin color variations among African populations. Their findings, published in Nature Genetics, broaden the understanding of human evolution and the genetics underpinning contemporary human skin color diversity. “Despite the abundant genetic diversity within African populations, they have been historically underrepresented in genetic studies,” says senior author Sarah Tishkoff, a Penn Integrates ...

Guantanamo Bay: 22 years of indefinite detention and eroded human rights

2024-01-12
Media contacts: Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu ## BOSTON, MA – January 11, 2024 marks the 22nd anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, a facility shrouded in controversy and synonymous with indefinite detention and alleged human rights abuses. Established in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Guantanamo has held hundreds of individuals suspected of terrorism, many without charge or trial, and under conditions widely condemned by international human rights organizations. A Legacy of Controversy: Indefinite Detention: Over ...

Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein to launch at UC Davis Jan. 17

2024-01-11
The University of California, Davis, is leading the establishment of a new Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein, or iCAMP. The center will work toward large-scale commercialization and technological advancement of alternative proteins, including cultivated meat (from animal cells grown in large fermentors), plant- and fungal-based foods, and innovative hybrids that combine conventional meat products with alternative proteins. Bringing together leading researchers and academic institutions, industry ...

Even the oldest eukaryote fossils show dazzling diversity and complexity

2024-01-11
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — The sun has just set on a quiet mudflat in Australia’s Northern Territory; it’ll set again in another 19 hours. A young moon looms large over the desolate landscape. No animals scurry in the waning light. No leaves rustle in the breeze. No lichens encrust the exposed rock. The only hint of life is some scum in a few puddles and ponds. And among it lives a diverse microbial community of our ancient ancestors. In a new account of exquisitely preserved microfossils, researchers at UC Santa Barbara and McGill University revealed that eukaryotic organisms had already evolved into a diverse array ...

UTEP researchers discover compound that fights leukemia, lymphoma

UTEP researchers discover compound that fights leukemia, lymphoma
2024-01-11
EL PASO, Texas (Jan. 11, 2024) – Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have identified a novel pharmaceutical compound that successfully kills leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells, potentially paving the way for new forms of therapy. Renato Aguilera, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is the principal investigator on the project that identified the promising compound, called thiophene F-8. His team’s findings were recently published in the research journal PLOS One. “The main ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Transforming treatment outcomes for people with OCD

Damage from smoke and respiratory viruses mitigated in mice via a common signaling pathway

New software tool could help better understand childhood cancer

Healthy lifestyle linked to lower diverticulitis risk, irrespective of genetic susceptibility

Women 65+ still at heightened risk of cervical cancer caused by HPV

‘Inflammatory’ diet during pregnancy may raise child’s diabetes type 1 risk

Effective therapies needed to halt rise in eco-anxiety, says psychology professor

Nature-friendly farming boosts biodiversity and yields but may require new subsidies

Against the odds: Endometriosis linked to four times higher pregnancy rates than other causes of infertility, new study reveals

Microplastics discovered in human reproductive fluids, new study reveals

Family ties and firm performance: How cousin marriage traditions shape informal businesses in Africa

Novel flu vaccine adjuvant improves protection against influenza viruses, study finds

Manipulation of light at the nanoscale helps advance biosensing

New mechanism discovered in ovarian cancer peritoneal metastasis: YWHAB restriction drives stemness and chemoresistance

New study links blood metabolites and immune cells to increased risk of urolithiasis

Pyruvate identified as a promising therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis by targeting cytosolic phospholipase A2

New insights into the clinical impact of IKBKG mutations: Understanding the mechanisms behind rare immunodeficiency syndromes

Displays, imaging and sensing: New blue fluorophore breaks efficiency records in both solids and solutions

Sugar, the hidden thermostat in plants

Personality can explain why some CEOs earn higher salaries

This puzzle game shows kids how they’re smarter than AI

Study suggests remembrances of dead played role in rise of architecture in Andean region

Brain stimulation can boost math learning in people with weaker neural connections

Inhibiting enzyme could halt cell death in Parkinson’s disease, study finds

Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning

UNDER EMBARGO: Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning

Scientists target ‘molecular machine’ in the war against antimicrobial resistance

Extending classical CNOP method for deep-learning atmospheric and oceanic forecasting

Aston University research: Parents should encourage structure and independence around food to support children’s healthy eating

Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests

[Press-News.org] HKUST researchers develop a versatile, reconfigurable, and damage-tolerant single-wire sensor array