Research Projects in Other Fields
Fracture behavior of viscoelastic biological membranes
A major obstacle in the development of
implantable micro-biosensors or microelectrodes is designing a method to insert
these devices through a membrane wrapped around a nerve without breaking the
micro-electrode or destroying the nerve and at the same time positioning them
in a predetermined place. We investigated the interaction between the viscoelastic membrane and the electrodes during the
piercing procedure through experiments, mathematical modeling, and computer
simulation. This study is a cornerstone in the development and design of
chronically implantable biosensors, neural prostheses or surgical instruments,
and it may help investigators to understand the factors involved in the
fracturing of the human fetal membrane and the fetal skull.
Cognitive
skill development of handicapped infants.
Children with motor impairments have varying
motor skills. Although some children with motor impairments also have
concomitant brain damage (and consequent mental retardation), others have
normal or even above normal levels of intelligence. Standard evaluation
instruments rely heavily on motor skills. The cognitive skills of children with
motor impairment are seldom fully recognized. We designed and built an
appropriate tool to study the behavior of young handicapped children. This tool
is built in such a way that a child can use it in spite of his/her motor
impairment. While a child is playing with it, researchers are able to study
his/her proficiencies.
A toy designed and built by undergraduate
students as part of a class project which was used by researchers at the