ECE Colloquium Series: Kris L. Dorsey: Design and applications of tunable, soft mechanical sensors

Description

ECE Colloquium Series presents:

Kris L. Dorsey
Northeastern University

Design and applications of tunable, soft mechanical sensors

Abstract
Physically-soft mechanical sensors and actuators are poised to unlock exciting new applications in wearable devices, robotics, and human-machine interfaces. A challenge of soft-material sensors is defining and reconfiguring their properties to suit each application. As well, sensors used for “self-sensing” in soft actuators must remain mechanically robust and electrically stable as the actuator deforms. In this talk, I will discuss challenges and recent work related to designing and fabricating origami-patterned sensors, additive manufacturing for wearable devices and sensors. I will also present work in enhancing the stability and mechanical selectivity of stretchable sensors and discuss applications for such sensors in wearable healthcare applications and soft robotics.

Bio
Kris Dorsey is an associate professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences departments at Northeastern University. She is also currently an MLK Visiting Associate Professor at MIT in the Media Lab. She was a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, San Diego. Dr. Dorsey graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and earned her Bachelors of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Olin College. Her current research interests include novel morphology soft sensors, stability concerns for soft-material sensors, and sensors for soft robots and wearable medical devices.

Presenter’s Websites
https://parses.sites.northeastern.edu/
https://coe.northeastern.edu/people/dorsey-kris/

Please adhere to Cornell University’s COVID-19 guidelines. Stay informed at covid.cornell.edu.