Project Summaries

1. Advanced Design and Control for Nanopositioning
2. Nanopositioners
3. Robotics

Federally Funded Projects

Sponsor: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

Goal and Objectives: Develop passive sensors and robotic system for soil-moisture monitoring and irrigation management.

Sponsor: L3-Harris Technologies

Goal and Objectives: Develop robot swarm for the detection, localization, and multi-objective optimization tasks.

Sponsor: U.S. Airforce

Goal and Objectives: Develop aerial robotic systems for autonomous chemical sensing.

Sponsor: U.S. Airforce

Goal and Objectives: Develop aerial robotic systems for autonomous chemical sensing.

Sponsor: National Science Foundation

Goal and Objectives: The vision of this collaborative project between the University of Utah, the University of Minnesota, and Santa Clara University is to extend the capabilities of clinicians by enabling minimally invasive access to locations in the human body that are currently difficult or impossible to reach, using a new class of 3D printed magneto-electroactive soft, continuum, compliant, and configurable (MESo-C3) mesoscale robotic devices that will travel along the natural pathways of the human body for a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic applications. MESo-C3 is a unique synergistic integration of three complementary technologies: compliant cylindrical structures with wireless high-bandwidth magnetic propulsion; low-bandwidth large-deformation electroactive polymer (EAP) actuators; and ultra-sensitive soft supercapacitance-based strain, force, and moduli-of-elasticity sensors via multi-scale additive manufacturing technology. The goal is to understand the kinematics, dynamics, sensing, and control of 3D-printed MESo-C3 robots, with a simplicity that enables application across scales.

Sponsor: National Science Foundation

Goal and Objectives: This project aims at establishing a new class of electroactive materials with superior multiphysics properties towards soft, self-powered, high sensitivity strain sensor applications in cyber-physical systems. Ionic polymer metal composites are electroactive soft composite materials that comprise a thin electrically charged polymer membrane, plated with noble metal electrodes, and infused with a charged solution. Due to their combined self-powered sensor behavior and soft mechanical characteristics, ionic polymer metal composites emerge as an ideal candidate for soft strain sensor applications. However, inconsistent and uncontrollable morphology of their polymer-metal interfaces poses the challenges of limited sensitivity, poor property control, and non-versatile mode of operation. So far, these challenges have limited the use of these materials in critical engineering applications. It is hypothesized that the multiphysics sensing properties of ionic polymer metal composites can be dramatically enhanced by tailored 3D-structured microengineered polymer-metal interfaces. To test this hypothesis, this research will develop a novel fabrication process integrating electroless chemical reduction with inkjet printing to prepare ionic polymer metal composites with microengineered interfaces. These interfaces are responsible for inhomogeneous strain developed in response to a mechanical stimulus and its subsequent electrochemical transduction and sensing performance. The main goal of this research is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the structure-property relationships in microengineered ionic polymer metal composites that determine enhanced strain sensing performance.

Goal: The goal of the proposed program is the development of a hover-capable, flying robot with integrated chemical sensing, inter-unit communication, and the potential for basic swarming. Utilizing the real-time data collected and analyzed by these sensors, the unit will be capable of swarming with other units during surveillance of a given area to, for example, localize and profile a contaminant source.

Sponsor: National Science Foundation

Goal and Objectives: This international project addresses a technologically important issues in soft robotics. Soft robotics is an important emerging field in robotics, mechatronics, and automation. Soft robotic components and systems offer new features and advances over conventional robotic devices. This project focuses on the creation of advanced multifunctional artificial muscles (AM) based on new polymer-metal composites which can be used in soft robotic applications. Artificial muscles can be transformative for millions of people with disabilities. The development of AM will benefit biomimetic soft robotics, medical diagnostics and tools, and invasive surgical systems. The potential market for reliable, cost-effective and easily scalable Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites (IPMCs)-based AM technology is substantial. The international partners are from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Graduate School of Ocean Systems Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Hybrid Actuator Group, Inorganic Functional Material Research Institute at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. The international team has strong expertise in manufacture engineering and has the necessary computational and experimental resources.

Sponsor: National Science Foundation, Sensors, CMMI Dynamics, & Control Program

Goal and Objectives:  This project focuses on new design and control paradigms for dual-stage nanopositioners that consider both spatial and temporal constraints. Emerging dual-stage nanopositioners have the unique ability to achieve both long-range and high-speed operation. However, typical control strategies rely on frequency-based information to split the control effort between the two actuators, which results in some precision positioning trajectories being unachievable. Therefore, dual-stage nanopositioners cannot achieve high positioning resolution when range and frequency are not inversely correlated. To advance the state-of-the-art, a control-centered design approach will be taken to establish the guidelines and requirements for creating high-performance dual-stage nanopositioners. To enhance the understanding and control system design process, detailed input-output models that capture the dynamics of the system (nonlinear and dynamic effects) and sensor characteristics will be obtained. An innovative control algorithm which systematically considers both spatial and temporal information will be developed to effectively allocate the control input.  The research outcomes will lead to improvement in the performance of nanotechnologies, such as video-rate scanning probe microscopy, desktop nano-rapid prototyping and nanomanufacturing systems, precision advanced additive manufacturing systems, and micro rapid inspection and repair systems. The research collaboration and the educational activities will expose graduate and undergraduate engineering students, K-12 students, and the wider community to cutting-edge research and findings in control, nanotechnology, and high-impact industry applications.

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Energy

Goal and Objectives:  This project focuses on developing a video-rate atomic force microscope for functional gas and liquid environments.

Sponsor: National Science Foundation, Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships, Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Program

Goal and Objectives: The goal of this project is to enhance the situational awareness capabilities of law enforcement agencies and first responders by employing unmanned autonomous systems (UAS) with high-resolution sensing and imaging capabilities for disaster remediation.  The project’s objectives include: (1) develop and integrate UAS platforms, sensors, imaging and communication systems, and control and path planning algorithms to create a UAS-based smart service system for first response, (2) model the state of human and infrastructure during a disaster, identify the scene, and create access paths to safety, (3) test prototypes and pursue commercialization opportunities, and (4) educate the public and train first responders on the technology.

Sponsor: National Science Foundation, Division of Biological Infrastructure, Instrumentation and Instrument Development (IDBR) Program

Goal and Objectives: The goal of this collaborative proposal is to create a new AFM tool that offers frame rates on the order of 100 frames/sec with scan range up to 10 μm for a particular class of biologically relevant samples, namely biopolymers and other “string-like” samples. Dynamics of interest in this class include the motion of molecular motors on their biopolymers, the dynamics of tropomyosin and of troponin on actin, binding and unbinding of regulatory proteins on DNA, and many more. The approach taken is to combine the nonraster approach with novel high-speed nanopositioning stages and advanced controllers to achieve an order of magnitude or better improvement in frame rate over existing commercial AFMs.

Goal:  This is an integrated and state-wide collaborative project between the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), the University
of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and the Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC). The main goal of this project is to advance the development and understanding of electroactive polymer sensors and actuators for applications in autonomous and emerging NASA related aerospace robotic and structural systems. Specifically, the research focuses on material processing, materials chemistry, modeling and control, and systems-level integration for electroactive polymer materials. An education plan is also proposed to integrate innovative teaching material on electroactive polymers for training the future workforce across the three campuses.

Goal: The goal of the proposed program is the development of a hover-capable, flying robot with integrated chemical sensing, inter-unit communication, and the potential for self-powering. The final platform will detect environmental threats in vapor form using interchangeable, onboard sensors. Utilizing the real-time data collected and analyzed by these sensors, the unit will be capable of swarming with other units during surveillance of a given area to, for example, localize and profile a contaminant source.

Goal:  The goal of this project is to exploit the unique properties of a new enabling “Artificial Muscle [AM]” to develop and deliver a working cilia-based array for possible use in naval applications.  An AM is a multifunctional, smart polymer whose electromechanical properties can be controlled, resulting in reproducible actuation and sensing capabilities.  Like biological muscles, the AM technology exhibits large motion, good force, fast response, good efficiency, long cycle life, and silent operation.  By developing an array of AM-based cilia, a rigorous investigation and study can be conducted to determine the feasibility, effectiveness, and application of such a technology in naval systems.  To this end, we propose to develop, test, and evaluate a cilia-based AM array which mimics the motion of biological cilium.

Goal: The program partners E-Fellows with middle and high school teachers across four schools in the Washoe County School District (WCSD) to bring their STEM energy-related research into K-12 classrooms via inquiry- and project-based activities.

Research topics include energy harvesting using smart materials, nanomaterials for photovoltaics, hydrogen energy and storage, biomass and biofuels, geothermal, wind energy, and efficient power grid systems.

Local Nevada energy industry collaborators include NV Energy and Ormat Nevada.

Goal: A critical mass of researchers with interdisciplinary research interests at UNR has acquired a new and critical instrument through the NSF, the Hysitron TI-950 Triboindentor nano-mechanical testing system. Northern Nevada including UNR does not have a nano-mechanical tester, thus the lack of such an instrument (or quick access to a nearby instrument) imposes significant challenges to researchers at UNR and local industry partners in advancing materials research and development. The newly acquired instrument will immediately support 8 research projects at UNR and initiate transformative research and industry collaborations. In addition to supporting a large number of research projects, the instrument will support undergraduate and graduate courses and train science and engineering students in state-of-the-art materials characterization techniques.

Goal: Study the use of nanocomposites for energy efficient systems and dynamic structures such as snow skis. Develop engineering curriculum that focuses on the fundamentals of nanocomposites.

Goal: The ultimate goal of this project is to capitalize on the unique properties of a new enabling “Artificial Muscle [AM]” to develop and deliver a compact and energy-efficient technology for enhanced maneuvering of small biorobotic unmanned surface/underwater vehicles. An AM is a multifunctional, smart polymer whose electronic properties can be controlled and reproducibly changed in response to the environment. Like biological muscles, the AM technology has the capacity to perform diversified functions because of its unique properties such as large motion, good force, fast response, good efficiency, and long cycle life. It has been shown that fish and naval mammals routinely use unsteady hydrodynamics for enhanced maneuvering.

Goal: The goal of this research is to address the critical issues of throughput, repeatability, scalability, and limited functionality of probe-based nanofabrication by designing, fabricating, and testing a novel active cantilever probe with an automated ability to interchange probe tips (tools). To do so, we propose the exploration of using active cantilever probes with an automated ability to interchange probe tips, for example, from sharp pyramidal tips with various sizes and materials to chemically functionalized tips for biological printing to nanowire tips for high resolution metrology to dynamic tips that can be used for machining, nanomanipulation, or material modification; without the need for an operator to physically remove/replace the cantilever as in traditional SPM.

Goal: The goal of this project is to prepare the engineering workforce with knowledge, understanding, and skills for nano/bio-related fields. Specifically, the project’s goal will be achieved by integrating a module on smart actuators into the mechanical engineering (ME) undergraduate curriculum. The module will be developed to address the important aspects of modeling, control, and design of smart actuator-based systems through a collection of specially designed lectures (theory) and laboratory experiments.

Internally  Funded Projects 

Industry  Supported Projects, Collaborations, and Consulting