An Overview of the WIMS² Research Center

The mission of the Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSensing and Systems (WIMS²) at the University of Michigan is to advance the design, fabrication, and breadth of the applications for sensor-driven microsensors and systems through research, education, and interactions with industry. These technologies include: micro and nanoscale fabrication, micromachined RF filters and resonators, packaging, power harvesting, low-power circuitry, and wireless interfaces with applications in biomedical devices, chemical and environmental sensors, and infrastructure monitoring. The applications' focus and interdisciplinary nature distinguishes WIMS² from other university research efforts. The relevance of this research is shown by the 12 start-up companies and 60 patents the Center has generated over the past 11 years.

The biomedical device research topics include a family of neural prostheses aimed at treating disorders such as deafness, paralysis, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease. The University of Michigan pioneered neural interface technology, which is now the focus for efforts worldwide. The Biomedical Devices Thrust also includes work on microfluidic systems for medical applications such as cell sorting and lab-on-a-chip applications. This research area leverages basic research in microfabrication, low-power circuits, and wireless and RF devices.

The Environmental Sensors Thrust is centered around an integrated gas chromatograph (GC) targeted at rapid gas analysis with sub-part-per-billion sensitivity. This research leverages technologies developed in the microfabrication area. The small scale of these devices enable greater portability, lower-power consumption, and faster response time than larger systems.

The Built Environment Sensing Thrust is developing microsystems to monitor the health of buildings and bridges, and the status of aircraft fuselages and naval vessel hulls. These devices are often connected together in wireless sensor networks that can communicate, measure, and analyze. Technology from the other research areas such as power harvesting, low-power consumption, and wireless connectivity are important enabling technologies for this effort.

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