September 16, 2011 — Sensors have the potential to do everything from monitor airplane fuselages for cracks to improve wrist rotation in prostetic arms. Student researchers had a chance to share their sensor development work at Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) TECHCON 2011, September 12-13 in Austin, TX. Here, they describe each experiment in video blogs from the conference.
Dryg and Jiang both work on sensor development. Dryg’s work is on controlling prosthetic arms with magnetic sensors. By implanting a magnet into the wearer’s forearm and installing sensors around the prosthetic, researchers can track the magnetic field during arm movement. A motor could then control the mechanical wrist better. Jiang’s study covers wireless sensors for environmental applications. These sensors could detect environmental changes.
Owens is focusing her sensor research on a harsh environment: aluminum panels in airplanes. Southwest Airlines made headlines in April 2011 when a fuselage ruptured on a passenger airplane traveling at 36,000 feet. Owens wants to prevent this kind of dramatic in-flight failure with sensors that keep track of fuselage health and detect fractures early, sending a wireless signal to the airline alerting of where the crack is and how long it is. The sensors are sensitive right now, and will need accuracy improvements. When will we see this safety technology on a passenger flight? Within the next 10 years, OWens says.