|
Dr.
Zeynep Celik-Butler's, and Dr. Donald
Butler's
work on Smart Skin was published in an article of
PC Magazine dated July 13, 2004.
This research work is sponsored by NSF -
National Science Foundation.
They
call their project Smart Skin, and they've already
demonstrated a prototype that monitors infrared
radiation, which means it's also capable of tracking
changes in body temperature. In the near future, they
hope to build devices that respond to all sorts of other
stimuli.
Their prototype begins with a flexible polymer substrate
that can withstand temperatures as high as 752°
Fahrenheit. The higher the temperature, the easier it is
to deposit the sensing materials on the substrate. In
this case, the microsensors are made of yttrium barium
copper oxide, a material that responds to infrared
radiation.
Woven into the uniform of a combat soldier, the sensors
might detect toxic chemicals or bacterial agents
floating through the air. Worn by a diabetic—just under
the skin—they could track insulin and glucose levels.
Donald Butler suggests they might soon find a home in
the world of robotics. A NASA machine, for instance,
could carefully track its surroundings as it moves
across Mars or the moon
The
entire article can be found here (link)(pdf)
|
