The detection of the environment where user is located, is of extreme use for the identification of Activities of Daily Living (ADL). ADL can be identified by use of the sensors available in many off-the-shelf mobile devices, including magnetic and motion, and the environment can be also identified using acoustic sensors. The study presented in this paper is divided in two parts: firstly, we di...

We design an implement a localization system that relies on low-frequency magnetic fields. Inertial (and optionally visual) sensors are included to aid the magnetic fingerprinting, and track the locations of the users.

Presented in this report is an overview of robotic sensors, many of which are in experimental stages. Two main sensor types are discussed: contact and noncontact. Descriptions of the physical measurements. how they are measured, and operating principles of specific devices are provided for both types of sensors. Contact, or tactile, sensors comprise three groups: touch, proximity, and slip sens...

A technique of low-energy proton irradiation has succeeded in increasing perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of phase-transformed Co/Pd superlattice and confirmed to provide a capability of achieving a magnetic recording density over 2.5 Tb/in2 [1]. Our x-ray magnetic circular dichroism study confirmed that the strong PMA is originated from an increase in the out-of-plane component of spin-...

The work of Brittenham [1], Fischer [2], and others has shown that biomagnetic susceptibility measurements are a uniquely effective, noninvasive method to monitor liver iron in patients with iron overload diseases. However, existing instruments, based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs), are too expensive for widespread clinical use. We are developing a prototype biomagneti...

We discuss synthetic receptors for haptic sensing. These are based on magnetic field sensors (Hall effect structures) fabricated using standard CMOS technologies. These receptors, biased with a small permanent magnet can detect the presence of ferro or ferri-magnetic objects in the vicinity of the sensor. They can also detect the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field.

We present a conceptually new approach for the detection of magnetic objects flowing through a fluidic channel. We produce an elastic and stretchable magnetic sensor and wrap it around capillary tubing. Thus, the stray fields induced by the flowing magnetic objects can be detected virtually in all directions (isotropic sensitivity), which is unique for elastic sensors when compared to their rig...