The National Science Foundation has awarded the University a five-year, $18.5 million grant to fund a research center for self-powered health devices in partnership with three other schools, the University announced last week in a press release. The center will be headquartered at N.C. State.
University researchers, working with N.C. State, Penn State and Florida International University, hope to use innovations in nanotechnology to create tiny health monitoring devices powered by the human body, said Veena Misra, an electrical engineering and computer sciences professor at N.C. State and the lead researcher on the project.
Members of the public will be able to keep tabs on their physiology using, for example, a chest patch or a wristband they would wear like a watch.
“We want to make an impact in global health challenges … that work[s] to empower the user,” Misra said.
The University will receive about $2.5 million of the total grant to fund three engineering researchers, seven graduate students and numerous undergraduate study opportunities, said John Lach, a professor of electrical and computer engineering.
University researchers, led by Benton Calhoun, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, will work to design a systems circuit to efficiently harness energy from the human body, Misra said.
Under Lach another group of researchers will create devices doctors and nurses will be able to use for patients with asthma, heart conditions and other ailments.
The teams expect to have working demo devices ready by the second year of the project so they can use the remaining three years to improve the product design, Misra said.
“We have a pretty aggressive timeline,” Misra said.
Because the $18.5 million in funding comes from taxpayers, Misra said the researchers were focused on building America’s edge in nanotechnology for medical devices and creating opportunities for collaborations with industry and startups.
“The way these centers are structured, there is very strong industry ecosystem, [so] any ideas that come out of the center can then be translated to the marketplace,” Misra said.
The foundation could renew the grant for an additional five years, but the project must be self-sustaining after 10 years.
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