UC Buzzes in International Media Spotlight

Several stories published on recent research and developments within the College of Engineering and Applied Science have been widely circulated. The hot topics include the development of delivery drones, light and energy conservation, advancements in inorganic movement, and more.

Examples of UC’s research and media coverage over the past several months:

Electronic Displays

Electrowetting

Professors Jason Heikenfeld, PhD, and Andrew Steckl, PhD, have led the way in the area of electrowetting, putting UC on the map as a lead research institution in the field. Electrowetting, which is the science of manipulating the surface wetting of a liquid through the use of voltage, holds many potentials for application.

Their recent focus in electrowetting has been on its display screen capabilities. E-readers, window displays, even grocery store price tags may all one day utilize electrowetting technology.

Heikenfeld explains, “The University of Cincinnati has published some of the key results that are needed to transform electrowetting science into real products, developed a large portion of the novel electrowetting devices discovered globally in the past 10 years, and has pioneered fundamental studies on resolving many of the reliability challenges that impaired earlier research.”

Outside Coverage:
SPEI Publication on Electrowetting

Inorganic Movement

Wiggly Gels

The College of Engineering and Applied Science has incredible opportunities for undergraduate research. Jarod Gregory, who was an undergrad at the time of his research, is making advancements in the field of chemical engineering through the potential impact on soft tools and robots for medical use.

The breakthrough in Gregory’s research was the success in stimulating an inorganic gel so that it moves with earth-worm like, or peristaltic motion. The ability to control the gel via a laser which shrinks and swells different parts may allow soft tools to move in areas of the human body without requiring friction.

Without the necessity of friction, soft tools have potential to reach new areas of the body to distribute medicine or detect bacteria.

Jarod further explains, “This new method of mobility expands the hydrogel’s use as an environmental and biotechnological tool by allowing them to explore new areas such as surface waters to combat toxic elements, or cavities inside the human body.”

Outside Coverage:
PHYS.org
Eurek Alert

Health

Monitoring Heavy Metals

Other research from UC includes advances in health technology. Professor Ian Papautsky, PhD, formed a strategic partnership with renowned researchers from two other UC colleges—Erin Haynes, assistant professor in the College of Medicine’s Department of Environmental Health, and William Heineman, professor in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Chemistry—to create a low-cost, portable sensor that could detect heavy metal levels in a human blood sample.

More specifically, Papautsky wanted to make a point-of-care sensor that would rapidly analyze (in real-time, 10 minutes or less) and detect dangerous amounts of manganese in children that could be administered by a person without a medical degree.

Outside Coverage:
Eurek Alert
High Beam Research

Following suit, Jason Heikenfeld is working on the development of a Band-Aid-sized patch which can analyze sweat beneath it, revealing information about what is going on inside the body. This project, in partnership with Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) allows individuals to assess their bodies through data transmitted and read on their smart phone. Heikenfeld explains, “We can electrically stimulate a tiny amount of sweat beneath a band-aid sized patch, and get access to an enormous amount of small molecules, peptides, etc., which reveals what is going on inside the body.”

Outside Coverage:
High beam Research

Alternative Energy

Better Fuel

The University of Cincinnati is actively searching for fuel alternatives. New research on coffee grounds is “early-but-promising.” According to a previous article, “Compared with petroleum diesel, the cleaner-burning biodiesel reduces the emission of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulate matters (PM). Waste coffee grounds that result from brewing one of the world’s most popular beverages is estimated to result in more than one million tons per year in the U.S. alone, with the majority of that waste getting dumped into landfills.”

The same fuel many of us fill up on with our morning bagel holds serious potential to also fuel our cars with cleaner, more resourceful energy.

Outside Coverage:
PHYS.org
Science News Daily

Better Lighting

Anton Harfmann, associate dean in University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) is also driving efforts for energy alternatives, specifically in the world of lighting. Harfmann uses similar electrowetting technology in order to harvest natural sunlight from the sides of buildings and homes.

A previous article explains, “Researchers developed a coating of tiny, fluid-filled cells that can be applied to windows on outside walls and to new interior windows. With a small electric pulse, the fluid in the cells changes shape so it can direct the light where it’s needed--to the ceiling for ambient lighting, to a special fixture to provide task lighting, or across the top of the room to “light-locked” areas.”

“The ability to actually direct light where you want it and need it is profound,” says Anton Harfmann, who, the article explains, is working with Professor Jason Heikenfeld, PhD, who originally created the technology. “It’s what architecture has always been about: it’s about light and how light enters a building. The implications for this technology would be pretty enormous, because if we can direct light from the perimeter of the building to an office, we don’t need artificially produced light.”

Outside Coverage:
The Economic Times (India)
Engineering.com

Delivery Drones

The HorseFly Octocopter

The University of Cincinnati is working to develop delivery drones through its partnership with AMP Electric Vehicles, a locally-based company specializing in next generation electric vehicles. The new drones, named the HorseFly octocopter, will pair with AMP’s WorkHorse, the company’s specially designed all-electric delivery truck, to deliver packages directly to your doorstep.

The HorseFly is powered by eight rotors (rendering it the name, “octocopter”) and sits atop the WorkHorse delivery truck waiting for a package from the driver.

Once loaded, the HorseFly then scans the package’s barcode, searches for the address and locks in a delivery path using GPS, then flies away on its own to its calculated destination. Upon completion of the delivery, the HorseFly pilots itself back to the truck for its next run and if necessary, undergoes a quick two-minute wireless recharge from the large battery in the WorkHorse truck.

While the truck and its driver are still needed in the delivery process, the HorseFly allows for a quicker, more efficient process, saving everyone time and money.

Outside Coverage:
Wired
Enquirer
Business Courier
Fast Company-Design

The University of Cincinnati and its partners continue to advance areas of engineering and applied science every day. To keep up with new research and stories from UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science please visit the college’s homepage,

www.ceas.uc.edu

.