The Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) is happy to welcome Professor Hamed Shahsavan to the WIN family! Professor Shahsavan will deliver a seminar in order to introduce himself and his research to our community. Please join us in giving him a warm welcome.
Registration is required. If you have any questions or issues registering, please contact win-office@uwaterloo.ca
Liquid Crystal Networks for Small-Scale Bioinspired Soft Robots and Devices
Abstract
The development of microscale devices and robots is a multidisciplinary theme that links different fields of research, such as biology, materials science, instrumentation and control, and artificial intelligence. During the last decade, this theme of research has played a significant role in the understanding, development, and application of microscale devices and robots. In this regard, the structural materials that can be scaled down by various microfabrication techniques and integrate sensing, actuating, and powering tasks in constructs with less number of components are highly desired. In this seminar, I will show the importance of liquid crystal networks (LCNs) in the design and fabrication of microscale robots and devices. I will present our recent progress in the development of artificial muscles and robotic constructs from LCNs that can be remotely stimulated by a variety of cues, such as heat, light, and the electrical field at different scales, and media. I will also present opportunities to create novel solutions or augment the existing capabilities of microscale robotic systems with an emphasis on their future biomedical applications.
Biography
Hamed
Shahsavan
is
an
assistant
professor
in
the
Department
of
Chemical
Engineering,
and
Waterloo
Institute
for
Nanotechnology,
at
the
University
of
Waterloo.
He
obtained
his
PhD
in
Chemical
Engineering
-
Nanotechnology
from
the
University
of
Waterloo
in
2017.
Before
his
appointment
in
2020,
he
was
an
NSERC
postdoctoral
fellow
at
Max
Planck
Institute
for
Intelligent
Systems.
During
his
PhD
studies,
he
was
a
visiting
scholar
in
the
Advanced
Materials
and
Liquid
Crystal
Institute
at
Kent
State
University,
Ohio,
USA.
During
his
post-doctoral
fellowship,
he
was
a
visiting
scientist
in
the
Smart
Photonic
Materials
(SPM)
research
group
at
the
University
of
Tampere
in
Finland.
His
current
research
interests
revolve
around
the
development
of
a
variety
of
soft,
stimuli-responsive,
and
programmable
materials.
In
addition,
he
is
interested
in
emerging
fabrication
strategies
for
the
manufacturing
of
small-scale
mobile
robots
and
devices,
such
as
direct
laser
writing,
and
micro-scale
4D
printing.