MEMS Differential Pressure Sensor with Dynamic Pressure Canceler for Precision Altitude Estimation.

Atmospheric pressure measurements based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMSs) can extend accessibility to altitude information. A differential pressure sensor using a thin cantilever and an air chamber is a promising sensing element for sub-centimeter resolution. However, its vulnerability to wind and the lack of height estimation algorithms for real-time operation are issues that remain to be solved.

Coaxiality Evaluation of Coaxial Imaging System with Concentric Silicon-Glass Hybrid Lens for Thermal and Color Imaging.

Thermal imaging is useful for tasks such as detecting the presence of humans and recognizing surrounding objects in the operation of several types of robots, including service robots and personal mobility robots, which assist humans. Because the number of pixels on a thermal imager is generally smaller than that on a color imager, thermal images are more useful when combined with color images, assuming that the correspondence between points in the images captured by the two sensors is known. In the literature, several types of coaxial imaging systems have been reported that can capture thermal and color images, simultaneously, from the same point of view with the same optical axis.

MEMS-Based Pulse Wave Sensor Utilizing a Piezoresistive Cantilever.

This paper reports on a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based sensor for pulse wave measurement. The sensor consists of an air chamber with a thin membrane and a 300-nm thick piezoresistive cantilever placed inside the chamber. When the membrane of the chamber is in contact with the skin above a vessel of a subject, the pulse wave of the subject causes the membrane to deform, leading to a change in the chamber pressure.

A Tactile Sensor Using Piezoresistive Beams for Detection of the Coefficient of Static Friction.

This paper reports on a tactile sensor using piezoresistive beams for detection of the coefficient of static friction merely by pressing the sensor against an object. The sensor chip is composed of three pairs of piezoresistive beams arranged in parallel and embedded in an elastomer; this sensor is able to measure the vertical and lateral strains of the elastomer. The coefficient of static friction is estimated from the ratio of the fractional resistance changes corresponding to the sensing elements of vertical and lateral strains when the sensor is in contact with an object surface.

Liquid-phase packaging of a glucose oxidase solution with parylene direct encapsulation and an ultraviolet curing adhesive cover for glucose sensors.

We have developed a package for disposable glucose sensor chips using Parylene encapsulation of a glucose oxidase solution in the liquid phase and a cover structure made of an ultraviolet (UV) curable adhesive. Parylene was directly deposited onto a small volume (1 μL) of glucose oxidase solution through chemical vapor deposition. The cover and reaction chamber were constructed on Parylene film using a UV-curable adhesive and photolithography.