Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2024 - 28

Photo of a stretchable microneedle adhesive patch
(SNAP) device. (Image: Jae-Woong Jeong/KAIST)
twitch a finger, currents run along your
muscle fibers. Doctors typically monitor
these electromyography (EMG) signals
using gel electrodes that stick onto your
skin, but the task can get tricky - gel
dries up over time, and when people
jump or run, the electrodes often slide
around, resulting in poor data.
The team set out to design an EMG
sensor that could function almost like a
part of your body.
The team's SNAP devices are self-contained
machines made of a stretchy,
polymer base. They incorporate stretchable
serpentine wires fabricated out of
ultrathin metal. They also come with
their own batteries and are remarkably
resilient: In lab experiments, the group
found that the patches collected accurate
EMG data, even when human subjects
were running on treadmills or doing
squats. They could also help people
do some very non-human things.
To test out those possibilities, researchers
from KAIST ran a series of
experiments in their lab in which they
asked real people to take on an everyday
task - lifting a heavy weight from
the floor. In this case, the humans had a
Ice Detection from Microwave Sensors
The sensors detect icy buildup on planes and wind turbines.
University of British Columbia Okanagan, Canada
I
ce build-up on aircraft and wind turbines
can impact the safety and efficiency
of their systems.
Microwave sensors were developed
that can identify in real time these accumulations
while calculating the rate of
melting. This is crucial data for aviation,
for keeping flights on time, and renewable
energy applications since power
generation output of wind turbines diminishes
as a result of ice accumulations.
The sensors, which include a protective
layer, are being tested by the aviation
industry through a rigorous ap proval
process. This needs to be done before it
can become a permanent fixture on aircraft.
The researchers are collaborating
with a number of wind turbine companies
to adapt the sensors into wind farms.
The wind farm application is a slightly
more straightforward proposition because
the sensors can be mounted at the
same altitude as the blades without having
to be mounted to the blades - this
removes certain calculation variables
that are related to motion.
In the midst of these breakthroughs,
the researchers uncovered another first
when it comes to ice sensing technology.
Their latest innovation can sense salty
28
little help. They strapped on a machine
that looks a bit like a knapsack and provides
a robotic boost for the lower back.
Some of the subjects also wore SNAP
devices just above their glute muscles.
When the patches detected that the
subjects were flexing their muscles
during lifting, the devices called for
help. They sent a wireless signal to the
robotic backpacks to begin moving -
all in a fraction of a second. Humans
wearing the patches, the team reported,
used an average of 18 percent less muscle
power while lifting than subjects
who were using the robotic exoskeleton
on its own.
Xiao noted that the researchers still
have a lot of work to do before their
patches make it into the real world. For
a start, they need to test the tools with
other kinds of exoskeleton machines.
For more information, contact Daniel
Strain at daniel.strain@colorado.edu;
303-735-5875.
Real-time sensors can monitor frost and ice buildup on airplanes and turbines. (Image: UBC)
ice, which freezes at colder temperatures.
Interest in understanding and
monitoring saltwater ice formation is increasing
due to issues caused by saltwater
ice on oil rigs and marine infrastructure.
The researchers are working towards the
introduction of micro wave/radar-based
technology to address this challenge.
By incorporating an antenna into
the sensor, the results can be shared in
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real time with the operator in order to
address the buildup. The team is
studying how the microwave and antenna,
which have proven to be durable
and robust, can be modified for
various applications including ice and
moisture sensing.
For more information, contact Patty
Wellborn at patty.wellborn@ubc.ca; 250317-0293.
Tech
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