MICHIGAN TECH A PARTNER IN NSF ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTER
Michigan Tech is collaborating in an unprecedented engineering partnership
involving the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and twenty
corporations. Researchers at the three universities are turning their
attention to developing miniscule devices that can do everything from
help predict the weather to restore hearing to the deaf.
With major funding from the National Science Foundation, the Engineering
Research Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems (known as ERC/WIMS)
was officially established September 1, with the University of Michigan
serving as lead institution and with an initial budget of $60 million
over a ten-year period.
The U of M is an acknowledged leader in developing microelectromechanical
systems with wireless capabilities, while Michigan Tech was tapped for
its expertise in machining with microscopic cutting tools and for its
education programs, including distance eduction.
Among the center's first projects is the design and construction of a
"smart" tool for use in implanting a new cochlear implant. These tiny,
tube-shaped devices are already restoring hearing for many people with
profound hearing loss. They are surgically inserted into the cochlea,
a coil-shaped part of the inner ear, and transmit electrical impulses
directly to the auditory nerve, bypassing portions of the ear's interior
that are damaged by disease or injury. However, their sound quality has
been compared to an AM station fading out on the edge of its range, largely
because the implants are limited to only 28 stimulating electrodes. The
ERC/WIMS researchers plan to more than quadruple that number, to 128 electrodes,
said Associate Professor Craig Friedrich (ME-EM), the center's technical
leader at MTU and one of several faculty who will be contributing to the
project. But so far, no housing exists that can protect all those microsensors
and be safely pushed by the surgeon along the narrow, spiral route that
leads to the auditory nerve.
"Our job is to take all those electronics and package them in something
a little over an inch long and about 20 thousands of an inch in diameter,
the thickness of five sheets of paper," Friedrich said.
Michigan Tech researchers will also be developing housings for miniature
environmental sensors. In this case, "the environment" is anywhere, from
the inside of a car to a worksite to the top of a tree. "A worker could
have one of these sensors on a wristwatch to determine if there were releases
of hazardous chemicals, or a child could wear it and find out if they
were near something that would bring on an asthma attack," Friedrich said.
Another application could be predicting the weather. Throughout the US,
many areas (including the UP) don't have enough weather stations to gather
relevant data, and forecasts suffer as a result. Microsensors the size
of a sugar cube could be left almost anywhere and relay information on
barometric pressure, temperature, etc. to atmospheric scientists.
The problem for MTU researchers will be to develop housings that can
be used for more than one type of sensor. Plus, they'll have to protect
the sensitive microelectronics inside while exposing the sensor to potentially
harsh environments. "There are a lot of challenges," Friedrich said. "That's
why this is a ten-year project."
Lastly, the center will be involved in math and science education at
the high school, community college, and university level, developing course
materials, experiments, and internship experiences. Plus, the three partner
universities plan to offer the nation's first Master of Engineering degree
in Integrated Microsystems, available both on campus and through distance
education. "NSF is very excited about that program," Friedrich said. "The
center faculty at each school would be adjunct faculty at the other universities,
and students could take approved classes at the two other schools and
get full credit toward a degree where they are enrolled. All the participants
are very enthusiastic."
The NSF funded only two such Engineering Research Centers this funding
cycle from among the ninety proposals, said Dean of Engineering Robert
Warrington, the associate director of ERC/WIMS. "It gives us a really
strong base on which to grow our microtechnology program, and it should
also complement our biotechnology and information technology areas," he
said. Over the length of the program, Michigan Tech should receive about
$5 million to $10 million and involve most of the engineering departments,
as well as a number of researchers throughout the College of Sciences
and Arts.
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09/29/00-MTN368
