Wireless Integrated MicroSensing and Systems (WIMS2) in California

WIMS², the Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSensing and Systems, held an outreach event in Sunnyvale, CA the afternoon of April 18. More than seventy people attended tutorials and research overviews.

The technical topics ranged from wireless and low power circuits, to MEMS, to microfabricated gas chromatographs. The tutorials were given by members of the research center including four faculty from EECS (Professors Yogesh Gianchandani – Director of WIMS², Michael Flynn, Mina Rais-Zadeh, and Dennis Sylvester) and Professor Katsuo Kurabayashi from Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Andy Oliver, the WIMS² industrial liaison, discussed how companies can benefit by working with a university research center.

The event raised the visibility of the WIMS² research program in Silicon Valley. Initial indications are that several new projects will be initiated because of this meeting.

After the tutorials, there was a mixer and networking session. In total, the attendees represented more than 45 different companies ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 firms.

About WIMS²

The mission of WIMS² is to advance the design, fabrication, and breadth of the applications for sensor-driven microsensors and systems through research, education, and interactions with industry. These technologies include: micro and nanoscale fabrication, micromachined RF filters and resonators, packaging, power harvesting, low-power circuitry, and wireless interfaces. The primary applications are sensors and systems for: 1) biomedical devices, 2) chemical and environmental sensors, and 3) infrastructure monitoring.

The Center has generated 12 start-up companies and 60 patents since 2000.

WIMS² reflects the research efforts of approx. 44 faculty, 9 post-doctoral researchers, and 76 graduate students. The research is sponsored by AEC, DARPA, FDA, NIH, NIST and NSF, among others. Member companies include Agilent, ATRM (J&J), Honeywell, Texas Instruments, and Stryker.