Speaker: DEREK HO
Topic: SEAMLESS HUMAN-MACHINE INTEGRATION: FROM ELECTRONIC SKIN TO IONOTRONICS SPEAKING BIOLOGY’S NATIVE LANGUAGE
Date: TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2022
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am
Zoom: https://uwaterloo.zoom.us/j/93214244675?pwd=ekpmTWMrbHVOY3JIZ2ZOczdqR25ZZz09
Meeting ID: 932 1424 4675
Passcode: 375036
Abstract:
Human skin with a network of highly sensitive sensory receptors is able to transmit various mechanical stimuli from external environment to the brain. Interest in realizing this function in an artificial skin is motivated by the promise of creating advanced humanoid robots, biomedical prostheses, surgical electronic gloves, and wearable health monitoring devices. To mimic the properties of human skin, artificial skin should have the ability of measuring the spatial distribution of the stress induced by multiple mechanical stimuli such as normal pressure, lateral strain, and flexion, enabling object manipulation, grasp control, and recording of body movement.
In this talk, I will present recent discoveries made in my research lab. I will walkthrough several sensor prototypes and show their performance in clinical trials involving human participants. I will show the importance of the interplay between materials and systems design in achieving new levels of performance and functionalities. As an epilogue, I will discuss frontier ideas and paradigm changes to enable a future where artificial devices can communicate seamlessly with biology.
Biography:
Dr. Ho received his B.A.Sc. (first class) and M.A.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada. At UBC, Dr. Ho found his passion in electronics. Dr. Ho later received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto, Canada, where he developed sensors incorporating nanomaterials and CMOS microelectronics for chemical detection and DNA biosensing applications.
Dr. Ho’s research interest is highly interdisciplinary, at the fertile intersection of electronics, materials, and biomedical engineering. He specializes in the synthesis of electronic nanomaterials and fabrication of devices. His research program consists of two main directions: sensors and energy storage devices, fabricated in the form of flexible and stretchable electronics. Dr. Ho is also an active facilitator in the scientific community internationally. He is an editor board member of the Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society and a member of the IEEE Biomedical and Life Science Circuits and Systems Technical Committee.
All are welcome!