SBIR Phase I: Multimodal Tactical Sensing for Consumer electronics & Neuroprosthetics

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力集中在不断增长的多点触摸传感器上，预计到2024年将达到940亿美元。触摸屏让我们可以通过指尖接触到虚拟世界及其功能，也让那些不懂键盘的人能够通过这个自然的界面访问庞大的万维网功能。一种无处不在的具有成本效益的多点触摸传感技术将通过改善运动技能和潜在地消除装有神经假肢的截肢者的幻痛，产生超越消费电子产品的更广泛的影响。随着数字世界变得更加互联，并继续以移动的物联网、自动汽车和其他无线连接智能技术的形式渗透到我们的物理世界中，降低采用的成本障碍以及设备与人之间的交互便利性非常重要。一个能够使所有成员，无论是年轻人还是老年人，都能够轻松地与连接的辅助设备进行交互的社会，将增加获得信息，教育和电子商务的机会，从而实现更快的经济增长。 这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在展示在导电（金属）或绝缘体（玻璃/塑料）的平面或曲面上无处不在的多点触摸和力感测。当前的多点触摸感测技术限于透明、绝缘和平面表面。这些技术涉及在玻璃或聚酰胺基板上图案化多层半透明膜，然后在复杂的制造过程中与显示器集成。电影？不透明的性质降低了显示图像的质量，并且需要增加显示亮度，这影响了移动的设备中的电池寿命。高制造成本减少了部署，因此限制了更广泛的消费者社会。该项目的目标是开发一种低成本的技术，该技术可以检测任何表面上多个触摸点的力和位置，而无需薄膜图案。所提出的技术的成功执行和部署将增加消费电子产品中多点触摸和力感测的部署，从而在社会中获得更广泛的使用。利用该技术进行科学研究以及最终用户价值的新机会将被评估为下肢拟合以减少幻痛和神经修复术作为潜在的感觉反馈。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project focuses on the growing multipoint touch sensors estimated at US $94B in 2024. Touch screens literally allowed access to the virtual world and its capabilities at our fingertips and enabled those who were keyboard illiterates to access the vast world wide web capabilities through this natural interface. A ubiquitous cost effective multipoint touch sensing technology would make a broader impact beyond consumer electronics by improving motor skills and potentially eliminating phantom pain for amputees fitted with neuro prosthetics limbs. As the digital world becomes more connected and continues to permeate our physical world in the form of the mobile Internet of Things, autonomous cars, and other wireless connected smart technologies, it is important to reduce the cost barrier for adoption and ease of interaction between the device and the human. A society that can enable all its members, youngsters to aging elders, to easily interface with connected assistive devices would have increased access to information, education, ecommerce and consequently will see faster economic growth. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims at demonstrating a ubiquitous multipoint touch and force sensing on planar or curved surfaces that are either conducting (metals) or insulators (glass/plastic). Current multipoint touch sensing technologies are limited to transparent, insulating and planar surfaces. These technologies involve patterning multiple layers of semitransparent films on a glass or polyamide substrate then integrated with the display in a complex manufacturing process. The films? semitransparent nature reduces the quality of the display image and requires increasing the display brightness which affects the battery life in mobile devices. The high manufacturing cost reduces deployment and hence limits access to the wider consumer society. This project targets developing a low-cost technology that detects force and location of multi touch points on any surface without film patterning. Successful execution and deployment of the proposed technology would increase deployment of multipoint touch and force sensing in consumer electronics and hence a broader access in the society. New opportunities for utilizing the technology both for scientific investigation as well as for end user value will evaluated for lower limb fitting to reduce phantom pain and in neuro prosthetics as a potential sensory feedback.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.