Duration: 3 years
Country/Territory: Italy
Organization: University of Trento (Italy)
Group: Embedded Systems Lab ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/ees-lab/ )
Project: Battery-free Electronic Sensors with tiny machines learning on flexible substrates
More information: Link
Contact: Prof. Davide Brunelli <davide.brunelli@unitn.it>
Self-powered electronic sensors, 3D printed or made of "textiles" that allow the incorporation of electronic components such as batteries, sensors, actuators, and microcontrollers, represent the frontier of 3D electronics in the next decades.
The project aims to explore and develop these self-sustaining, intelligent sensors, leveraging the benefits of 3D printing technology and advanced manufacturing techniques. Sensors will be intelligent thanks to tiny neural network models and the recent advancements in Tiny Machine Learning.
The ideal candidate for this project should have a strong background in digital electronics, with specific skills in programming digital microcontroller unit (MCU)-based sensors. They will also work on designing and implementing simple 3D-printed passive and active analog electronic circuits and transducers. A final demonstrator will be developed, namely, to realize a sensor in a flexible system that is self-powered. This final demonstrator will highlight the practical applications and potential impact of self-powered sensors in various fields, such as wearable technology, smart textiles for robots, flexible robotics, and environmental monitoring. The candidate will engage in multidisciplinary research throughout the project, combining principles from electronic engineering, computer programming, and materials science.