Neuro-X seminar: Prof Dahiya (Northeastern University) and Prof Arias (Berkeley)
Event details
| Date | 13.03.2026 |
| Hour | 10:00 › 11:30 |
| Speaker | Prof Ravinder Dahiya Prof Ana Claudia Arias |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Prof Dahiya's talk: Flexible Printed Electronics for Robotics and Interactive Systems
Abstract
The miniaturization of electronics has enabled rapid advancements in computing and communication over the past several decades. However, as we look toward the next frontier of technological innovation, it is increasingly evident that miniaturization alone is not enough. A new class of emerging applications—including wearable systems, soft robotics, biomedical implants, interactive devices, and flexible displays—demands electronic systems that not only offer high-performance but also are mechanically flexible, conformable, and compatible with dynamic or soft substrates. In parallel, there is growing concern about the ecological footprint of traditional micro- and nanofabrication processes. These challenges call for a rethinking of how we design and manufacture electronic systems. This talk will present recent advances in resource-efficient approaches to building high-performance electronics on unconventional substrates. Focusing on printed electronics, the talk will discuss materials, device architectures, and scalable fabrication methods that enable flexible and stretchable electronic systems. As a case study, the talk will showcase developments in electronic skin (e-skin) for robotics—highlighting the integration of printed sensors, high-mobility electronic materials, and flexible circuits onto soft, deformable surfaces. These technologies offer a glimpse into the future of semiconductor manufacturing—one that is not only scalable and adaptive to emerging needs but also environmentally responsible.
Bio:
Ravinder Dahiya is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, Boston, where he leads the Bendable Electronics and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) group. His multidisciplinary research spans flexible and printed electronics, electronic skin (e-skin), and their applications in robotics, wearables, and interactive systems. He has authored over 550 publications, including books, patents, and journal articles, and has led or contributed to numerous international research projects.
Prof. Dahiya serves on the IEEE Board of Directors and was President of the IEEE Sensors Council (2022–2023). He is the Editor-in-Chief of npj Flexible Electronics (Nature Portfolio) and founded IEEE Journal on Flexible Electronics, which is launched in 2022 the founding EiC. He also founded the IEEE International Conference on Flexible, Printed Sensors and Systems (FLEPS). He has chaired several major conferences such as IEEE SENSORS.
Prof. Dahiya serves on the IEEE Board of Directors and was President of the IEEE Sensors Council (2022–2023). He is the Editor-in-Chief of npj Flexible Electronics (Nature Portfolio). He also served as the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal on Flexible Electronics, which he founded and led from its inception and launch in 2021. In addition, he founded the IEEE International Conference on Flexible, Printed Sensors and Systems (FLEPS) and has chaired several major international conferences, including IEEE SENSORS.
His honours and awards include EPSRC, Marie Curie, and Monbusho Fellowships, the IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award, Elsevier’s Young Investigator Award, and 13 best paper awards. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Web: www.rsdahiya.com
Group Website: https://best.sites.northeastern.edu
TEDx talk: ‘Animating the Inanimate World’
Prof Arias' talk: From Materials to Systems: Wearable Bioelectronics for Continuous Human Monitoring
Abstract:
In this talk, I will discuss our work on engineering wearable bioelectronic interfaces that combine advances in materials, device design, and scalable manufacturing. Our group has developed ultrathin dry electrodes based on carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films that form conformal, breathable, and mechanically compliant interfaces with the skin. These electrodes exhibit low contact impedance, high signal-to-noise ratios, and excellent mechanical stability under natural motion. Importantly, the materials and device architecture enable roll-to-roll fabrication processes that support large-scale manufacturing of wearable electrodes. At the system level, these interfaces enable new wearable platforms capable of stable multi-day electrophysiological monitoring. I will present demonstrations of myoelectric interfaces in which electromyography signals recorded with CNT electrodes remain stable over multiple days, enabling machine-learning decoders trained on the first day to operate without recalibration.
Bio:
Prof. Arias received her PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge, UK in 2001. Prior to that, she received her master and bachelor degrees in Physics from the Federal University of Paraná in Curitiba, Brazil in 1997 and 1995 respectively.
She joined the University of California, Berkeley in January of 2011. Prof. Arias was the Manager of the Printed Electronic Devices Area and a Member of Research Staff at PARC, a Xerox Company. She went to PARC, in 2003, from Plastic Logic in Cambridge, UK where she led the semiconductor group.
Her research focuses on the use of electronic materials processed from solution in flexible electronic systems. She uses printing techniques to fabricate flexible large area electronic devices and sensors.
Abstract
The miniaturization of electronics has enabled rapid advancements in computing and communication over the past several decades. However, as we look toward the next frontier of technological innovation, it is increasingly evident that miniaturization alone is not enough. A new class of emerging applications—including wearable systems, soft robotics, biomedical implants, interactive devices, and flexible displays—demands electronic systems that not only offer high-performance but also are mechanically flexible, conformable, and compatible with dynamic or soft substrates. In parallel, there is growing concern about the ecological footprint of traditional micro- and nanofabrication processes. These challenges call for a rethinking of how we design and manufacture electronic systems. This talk will present recent advances in resource-efficient approaches to building high-performance electronics on unconventional substrates. Focusing on printed electronics, the talk will discuss materials, device architectures, and scalable fabrication methods that enable flexible and stretchable electronic systems. As a case study, the talk will showcase developments in electronic skin (e-skin) for robotics—highlighting the integration of printed sensors, high-mobility electronic materials, and flexible circuits onto soft, deformable surfaces. These technologies offer a glimpse into the future of semiconductor manufacturing—one that is not only scalable and adaptive to emerging needs but also environmentally responsible.
Bio:
Ravinder Dahiya is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, Boston, where he leads the Bendable Electronics and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) group. His multidisciplinary research spans flexible and printed electronics, electronic skin (e-skin), and their applications in robotics, wearables, and interactive systems. He has authored over 550 publications, including books, patents, and journal articles, and has led or contributed to numerous international research projects.
Prof. Dahiya serves on the IEEE Board of Directors and was President of the IEEE Sensors Council (2022–2023). He is the Editor-in-Chief of npj Flexible Electronics (Nature Portfolio) and founded IEEE Journal on Flexible Electronics, which is launched in 2022 the founding EiC. He also founded the IEEE International Conference on Flexible, Printed Sensors and Systems (FLEPS). He has chaired several major conferences such as IEEE SENSORS.
Prof. Dahiya serves on the IEEE Board of Directors and was President of the IEEE Sensors Council (2022–2023). He is the Editor-in-Chief of npj Flexible Electronics (Nature Portfolio). He also served as the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal on Flexible Electronics, which he founded and led from its inception and launch in 2021. In addition, he founded the IEEE International Conference on Flexible, Printed Sensors and Systems (FLEPS) and has chaired several major international conferences, including IEEE SENSORS.
His honours and awards include EPSRC, Marie Curie, and Monbusho Fellowships, the IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award, Elsevier’s Young Investigator Award, and 13 best paper awards. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Web: www.rsdahiya.com
Group Website: https://best.sites.northeastern.edu
TEDx talk: ‘Animating the Inanimate World’
Prof Arias' talk: From Materials to Systems: Wearable Bioelectronics for Continuous Human Monitoring
Abstract:
In this talk, I will discuss our work on engineering wearable bioelectronic interfaces that combine advances in materials, device design, and scalable manufacturing. Our group has developed ultrathin dry electrodes based on carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films that form conformal, breathable, and mechanically compliant interfaces with the skin. These electrodes exhibit low contact impedance, high signal-to-noise ratios, and excellent mechanical stability under natural motion. Importantly, the materials and device architecture enable roll-to-roll fabrication processes that support large-scale manufacturing of wearable electrodes. At the system level, these interfaces enable new wearable platforms capable of stable multi-day electrophysiological monitoring. I will present demonstrations of myoelectric interfaces in which electromyography signals recorded with CNT electrodes remain stable over multiple days, enabling machine-learning decoders trained on the first day to operate without recalibration.
Bio:
Prof. Arias received her PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge, UK in 2001. Prior to that, she received her master and bachelor degrees in Physics from the Federal University of Paraná in Curitiba, Brazil in 1997 and 1995 respectively.
She joined the University of California, Berkeley in January of 2011. Prof. Arias was the Manager of the Printed Electronic Devices Area and a Member of Research Staff at PARC, a Xerox Company. She went to PARC, in 2003, from Plastic Logic in Cambridge, UK where she led the semiconductor group.
Her research focuses on the use of electronic materials processed from solution in flexible electronic systems. She uses printing techniques to fabricate flexible large area electronic devices and sensors.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free