Inductive Powering


Book Description

Inductive powering has been a reliable and simple method for many years to wirelessly power devices over relatively short distances, from a few centimetres to a few feet. Examples are found in biomedical applications, such as cochlear implants; in RFID, such as smart cards for building access control; and in consumer devices, such as electrical toothbrushes. Device sizes shrunk considerably the past decades, demanding accurate design tools to obtain reliable link operation in demanding environments. With smaller coil sizes, the link efficiency drops dramatically to a point where the commonly used calculation methods become invalid. Inductive Powering: Basic Theory and Application to Biomedical Systems lists all design equations and topology alternatives to successfully build an inductive power and data link for your specific application. It also contains practical guidelines to expand the external driver with a servomechanism that automatically tunes itself to varying coupling and load conditions.




Metamaterial Electromagnetic Wave Absorbers


Book Description

Electromagnetic metamaterials are a family of shaped periodic materials which achieve extraordinary scattering properties that are difficult or impossible to achieve with naturally occurring materials. This book focuses on one such feature of electromagnetic metamaterials—the theory, properties, and applications of the absorption of electromagnetic radiation. We have written this book for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and practitioners, covering the background and tools necessary to engage in the research and practice of metamaterial electromagnetic wave absorbers in various fundamental and applied settings. Given the growing impact of climate change, the call for innovations that can circumvent the use of conventional energy sources will be increasingly important. As we highlight in Chapter 6, the absorption of radiation with electromagnetic metamaterials has been used for energy harvesting and energy generation, and will help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Other applications ranging from biochemical sensing to imaging are also covered. We hope this book equips interested readers with the tools necessary to successfully engage in applied metamaterials research for clean, sustainable energy. This book consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction and a brief history of electromagnetic wave absorbers; Chapter 2 focuses on several theories of perfect absorbers; Chapter 3 discusses the scattering properties achievable with metamaterial absorbers; Chapter 4 provides significant detail on the fabricational processes; Chapter 5 discusses examples of dynamical absorbers; and Chapter 6 highlights applications of metamaterial absorbers.




Transmission Lines and Lumped Circuits


Book Description

The theory of transmission lines is a classical topic of electrical engineering. Recently this topic has received renewed attention and has been a focus of considerable research. This is because the transmisson line theory has found new and important applications in the area of high-speed VLSI interconnects, while it has retained its significance in the area of power transmission. In many applications, transmission lines are connected to nonlinear circuits. For instance, interconnects of high-speed VLSI chips can be modelled as transmission lines loaded with nonlinear elements. These nonlinearities may lead to many new effects such as instability, chaos, generation of higher order harmonics, etc. The mathematical models of transmission lines with nonlinear loads consist of the linear partial differential equations describing the current and voltage dynamics along the lines together with the nonlinear boundary conditions imposed by the nonlinear loads connected to the lines. These nonlinear boundary conditions make the mathematical treatment very difficult. For this reason, the analysis of transmission lines with nonlinear loads has not been addressed adequately in the existing literature. The unique and distinct feature of the proposed book is that it will present systematic, comprehensive, and in-depth analysis of transmission lines with nonlinear loads. - A unified approach for the analysis of networks composed of distributed and lumped circuits - A simple, concise and completely general way to present the wave propagation on transmission lines, including a thorough study of the line equations in characteristic form - Frequency and time domain multiport representations of any linear transmission line - A detailed analysis of the influence on the line characterization of the frequency and space dependence of the line parameters - A rigorous study of the properties of the analytical and numerical solutions of the network equations - The associated discrete circuits and the associated resisitive circuits of transmission lines - Periodic solutions, bifurcations and chaos in transmission lines connected to noninear lumped circuits




Tesla


Book Description

“The gold standard for Tesla biography.”—Science “Superb.”—Nature The definitive account of Tesla's life and work Nikola Tesla was a major contributor to the electrical revolution that transformed daily life at the turn of the twentieth century. His inventions, patents, and theoretical work formed the basis of modern AC electricity, and contributed to the development of radio and television. Like his competitor Thomas Edison, Tesla was one of America's first celebrity scientists, enjoying the company of New York high society and dazzling the likes of Mark Twain with his electrical demonstrations. An astute self-promoter and gifted showman, he cultivated a public image of the eccentric genius. Even at the end of his life when he was living in poverty, Tesla still attracted reporters to his annual birthday interview, regaling them with claims that he had invented a particle-beam weapon capable of bringing down enemy aircraft. Plenty of biographies glamorize Tesla and his eccentricities, but until now none has carefully examined what, how, and why he invented. In this groundbreaking book, W. Bernard Carlson demystifies the legendary inventor, placing him within the cultural and technological context of his time, and focusing on his inventions themselves as well as the creation and maintenance of his celebrity. Drawing on original documents from Tesla's private and public life, Carlson shows how he was an "idealist" inventor who sought the perfect experimental realization of a great idea or principle, and who skillfully sold his inventions to the public through mythmaking and illusion. This major biography sheds new light on Tesla's visionary approach to invention and the business strategies behind his most important technological breakthroughs.




Materials Research to Meet 21st-Century Defense Needs


Book Description

In order to achieve the revolutionary new defense capabilities offered by materials science and engineering, innovative management to reduce the risks associated with translating research results will be needed along with the R&D. While payoff is expected to be high from the promising areas of materials research, many of the benefits are likely to be evolutionary. Nevertheless, failure to invest in more speculative areas of research could lead to undesired technological surprises. Basic research in physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science will provide the seeds for potentially revolutionary technologies later in the 21st century.




Holographic Sensors


Book Description

This thesis presents a theoretical and experimental approach for the rapid fabrication, optimization and testing of holographic sensors for the quantification of pH, organic solvents, metal cations, and glucose in solutions. Developing non-invasive and reusable diagnostics sensors that can be easily manufactured will support the monitoring of high-risk individuals in any clinical or point-of-care setting. Sensor fabrication approaches outlined include silver-halide chemistry, laser ablation and photopolymerization. The sensors employ off-axis Bragg diffraction gratings of ordered silver nanoparticles and localized refractive index changes in poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and polyacrylamide films. The sensors exhibited reversible Bragg peak shifts, and diffracted the spectrum of narrow-band light over the wavelength range λpeak ≈ 495-1100 nm. Clinical trials of glucose sensors in the urine samples of diabetic patients demonstrated that they offer superior performance compared to commercial high-throughput urinalysis devices. Lastly, a generic smartphone application to quantify colorimetric tests was developed and tested for both Android and iOS operating systems. The sensing platform and smartphone application may have implications for the development of low-cost, reusable and equipment-free point-of-care diagnostic devices.




Optical and Wireless Technologies


Book Description

This volume presents selected papers from the 3rd International Conference on Optical and Wireless Technologies, conducted from 16th to 17th March, 2019. It focuses on extending the limits of currently used systems encompassing optical and wireless domains, and explores the latest developments in applications like photonics, high speed communication systems and networks, visible light communication, nano-photonics, wireless, and MIMO systems. The proceedings contain high quality scholarly articles, giving insight into the analytical, experimental, and developmental aspects of systems, techniques, and devices in these spheres. This volume will prove useful to researchers and professionals alike.




Biologically Inspired Robotics


Book Description

Robotic engineering inspired by biology—biomimetics—has many potential applications: robot snakes can be used for rescue operations in disasters, snake-like endoscopes can be used in medical diagnosis, and artificial muscles can replace damaged muscles to recover the motor functions of human limbs. Conversely, the application of robotics technology to our understanding of biological systems and behaviors—biorobotic modeling and analysis—provides unique research opportunities: robotic manipulation technology with optical tweezers can be used to study the cell mechanics of human red blood cells, a surface electromyography sensing system can help us identify the relation between muscle forces and hand movements, and mathematical models of brain circuitry may help us understand how the cerebellum achieves movement control. Biologically Inspired Robotics contains cutting-edge material—considerably expanded and with additional analysis—from the 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO). These 16 chapters cover both biomimetics and biorobotic modeling/analysis, taking readers through an exploration of biologically inspired robot design and control, micro/nano bio-robotic systems, biological measurement and actuation, and applications of robotics technology to biological problems. Contributors examine a wide range of topics, including: A method for controlling the motion of a robotic snake The design of a bionic fitness cycle inspired by the jaguar The use of autonomous robotic fish to detect pollution A noninvasive brain-activity scanning method using a hybrid sensor A rehabilitation system for recovering motor function in human hands after injury Human-like robotic eye and head movements in human–machine interactions A state-of-the-art resource for graduate students and researchers in the fields of control engineering, robotics, and biomedical engineering, this text helps readers understand the technology and principles in this emerging field.




The Global Technology Revolution 2020, In-Depth Analyses: Bio/Nano/Materials/Information Trends, Drivers, Barriers, and Social Implications


Book Description

In 2020, areas of particular importance for technology trends will include biotechnology, nanotechnology, materials technology, and information technology. This report, the companion document to The Global Technology Revolution 2020, Executive Summary (Silberglitt et al., MG-475-NIC, 2006), assesses in detail a sample of 29 countries with respect to their ability to acquire and implement 16 key technology applications.




Microwave Absorbing Materials


Book Description

With the phenomenal development of electromagnetic wave communication devices and stealth technology, electromagnetic wave absorbing materials have been attracting attention as antielectromagnetic interference slabs, stealth materials, self-concealing technology, and microwave darkrooms. This book starts with the fundamental theory of electromagnetic wave absorption in loss medium space, followed by a discussion of different microwave absorbents, such as manganese dioxide, iron-based composite powder, conductive polyaniline, barium titanate powder, and manganese nitride. Then, structural absorbing materials are explored, including multilayer materials, new discrete absorbers, microwave absorption coatings, cement-based materials, and structural pyramid materials. Many of the graphics demonstrate not only the principles of physics and experimental results but also the methodology of computing. The book will be useful for graduate students of materials science and engineering, physics, chemistry, and electrical and electronic engineering; researchers in the fields of electromagnetic functional materials and nanoscience; and engineers in the fields of electromagnetic compatibility and stealth design.