Beam me up Scotty: Microsystems and artificial muscles for small spacecraft
Event details
| Date | 08.12.2011 |
| Hour | 17:15 |
| Speaker | Herbert Shea |
| Location |
Polydome
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
We rely on spacecraft to study our environment, explore our solar system, even to test fundamental theories about the origin of the universe. Till now, such exploration has been extremely expensive, the exclusive domain of large space agencies.
Microsystems allow for a dramatic reduction the mass (and cost) of spacecraft, to the point where a sub-10 kg spacecraft could perform scientific exploration missions. At the LMTS, we are developing several key technologies for small satellites, as well as miniaturized artificial muscle actuators that can be used for biology, optics in space and on Earth.
We are leading the development of micromachined ion engines on a chip, accelerating ions to over 40 km/s to allow even a 5 kg satellite to go under its own power from orbit around the Earth to orbit around the moon. In March 2012, we will fly on a sounding rocket our very sensitive inertial sensor designed to keep satellites pointing their instruments at the Earth.
We are developing µm to mm-scale compliant actuators based on miniaturized artificial muscles, well suited for interacting with soft tissue, on Earth and in space. We create compact flexible systems for soft robotics, microfluidics, and RF beam steering. We have fabricated on one chip nearly one hundred devices to apply mechanical strain to single cells, which will be used in space to study the effect of microgravity on cell development, and on Earth to decipher cell mechanotransduction: how cells express genes or proliferate and differentiate as a function of mechanical stimulus.
Practical information
- General public
- Free