Soft Liquid Metal-Enabled NFC Coil

Presenter

Dylan Jacob Nawn

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Tingyi Leo Liu, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A68, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 4 (A61-A80) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

This research focuses on the design, fabrication, and characterization of soft liquid metal (LM) enabled near-field communication (NFC) coils. Conventional NFC coils, while successful in rigid devices, pose challenges when integrated into applications that require flexibility, such as wearable and stretchable medical devices. The developed soft liquid-metal-enabled NFC coil is expected to be capable of adapting to the dynamic movements of the human body such as the stretching of skin caused by flexing mussels, breathing, and other everyday activities while maintaining consistent and reliable signal transmission.

The primary objective is to comprehensively understand the interplay between mechanical adaptations and the electrical characteristics of a flexible NFC coil. The thesis hypothesizes that LM-enabled coils are more resistant to resonance frequency shift as compared to rigid NFC coils when being stretched. The change of resistance is much smaller in LM coils when compared to traditional gold or copper coils. Additionally, the research explores the strategic stacking of multiple coils to amplify the magnetic field without compromising the compact form, pushing the boundaries of current NFC technology.

The major contribution of soft and miniaturized NFC coils is their potential to enable distributed sensing with wireless powering and communications. This technology has the potential to revolutionize wireless communication integration in many fields, specifically in wearable and implantable medical devices.

Keywords

Micro-electromechanical Systems (MEMS), Mechanical Engineering, NFC, Liquid Metal

Research Area

Engineering

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