Seminar Speaker: Xiaoyue Ni, Duke University

Abstract

Achieving dynamic control over the physical properties of materials is an ultimate aspiration of many engineering sciences. The past decades have witnessed phenomenal investment in developing smart materials that can transform and respond to various external stimuli. However, current approaches are mainly off-line and prescribed: design, processing, and characterization of the materials occur only prior to their deployment. In this talk, I will introduce a pathway to enable real-time human-materials interaction by creating advanced digital-physical interfaces that connect humans with materials. To interface with humans, the key challenge is to monitor human signals comfortably and accurately. I will show how epidermal electronics that incorporate high-bandwidth MEMS accelerometers capture multitudes of mechanical and acoustic processes of the human body, ranging from broad classes of physiological information to precision kinematics of the core body. The technique has enabled continuous monitoring of unconventional respiratory biomarkers and important vital signs in the ongoing pandemic setting. To interface with materials, I will describe recent advances in active metamaterials, and how the area of research at the interface between mechanics, flexible electronics, and non-destructive testing offers new capabilities for developing programmable matter with digital access to the structure, process, and properties. Based on the two platform technologies, I will conclude by discussing new opportunities in developing human-centered materials intelligence – with material properties and human signals digitized in a loop, the materials can sense user status or actions, swiftly adapt their microstructures, and subsequently their functional properties on demand. Such an interactive platform will support a rich range of applications in materials design, soft robotics, and autonomous medical devices.

Speaker Biography

Xiaoyue Ni is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Duke University, where she is working on wearable electronics for continuous, noninvasive monitoring of human body mechanics and tissue-level diagnosis. She also develops programmable meta-structures for robotic materials. She received her Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from the California Institute of Technology in 2017, where she worked on nanomechanics focusing on resolving the fundamental physics of dislocation-mediated plasticity. She received her M.S. degree in Materials Science from Caltech in 2014. She holds a B.S. degree in Physics and Mathematics with a Minor in Economics from Marietta College in 2012.