A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Waveguide Sensor that Mimics a Neuromast to Measure Fluid Flow Velocity
Accurate flow measurement is a ubiquitous task in fields such as industry, medical technology, or chemistry; it remains however challenging due to small measurement ranges or erosive flows. Inspiration for possible measurement methods can come from nature, for example from the lateral line organ of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-02-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/4/925 |
| _version_ | 1811278047575277568 |
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| author | Bianca Wiesmayr Markus Höglinger Michael Krieger Philip Lindner Werner Baumgartner Anna T. Stadler |
| author_facet | Bianca Wiesmayr Markus Höglinger Michael Krieger Philip Lindner Werner Baumgartner Anna T. Stadler |
| author_sort | Bianca Wiesmayr |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Accurate flow measurement is a ubiquitous task in fields such as industry, medical technology, or chemistry; it remains however challenging due to small measurement ranges or erosive flows. Inspiration for possible measurement methods can come from nature, for example from the lateral line organ of fish, which is comprised of hair cells embedded in a gelatinous cupula. When the cupula is deflected by water movement, the hair cells generate neural signals from which the fish gains an accurate representation of its environment. We built a flow sensor mimicking a hair cell, but coupled it with an optical detection method. Light is coupled into a PDMS waveguide that consists of a core and a cladding with a low refractive index contrast to ensure high bending sensitivity. Fluid flow bends the waveguide; this leads to a measurable light loss. The design of our sensory system allows flow measurement in opaque and corrosive fluids while keeping production costs low. To prove the measurement concept, we evaluated the light loss while (a) reproducibly bending the fiber with masses, and (b) exposing the fiber to air flow. The results demonstrate the applicability of an optical fiber as a flow sensor. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T00:27:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-50e1d59b750a4cacb3a8c6e79621a88d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T00:27:41Z |
| publishDate | 2019-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-50e1d59b750a4cacb3a8c6e79621a88d2022-12-22T03:10:33ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202019-02-0119492510.3390/s19040925s19040925A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Waveguide Sensor that Mimics a Neuromast to Measure Fluid Flow VelocityBianca Wiesmayr0Markus Höglinger1Michael Krieger2Philip Lindner3Werner Baumgartner4Anna T. Stadler5Institute of Biomedical Mechatronics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4040 Linz, AustriaInstitute of Biomedical Mechatronics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4040 Linz, AustriaInstitute of Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4040 Linz, AustriaInstitute of Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4040 Linz, AustriaInstitute of Biomedical Mechatronics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4040 Linz, AustriaInstitute of Biomedical Mechatronics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4040 Linz, AustriaAccurate flow measurement is a ubiquitous task in fields such as industry, medical technology, or chemistry; it remains however challenging due to small measurement ranges or erosive flows. Inspiration for possible measurement methods can come from nature, for example from the lateral line organ of fish, which is comprised of hair cells embedded in a gelatinous cupula. When the cupula is deflected by water movement, the hair cells generate neural signals from which the fish gains an accurate representation of its environment. We built a flow sensor mimicking a hair cell, but coupled it with an optical detection method. Light is coupled into a PDMS waveguide that consists of a core and a cladding with a low refractive index contrast to ensure high bending sensitivity. Fluid flow bends the waveguide; this leads to a measurable light loss. The design of our sensory system allows flow measurement in opaque and corrosive fluids while keeping production costs low. To prove the measurement concept, we evaluated the light loss while (a) reproducibly bending the fiber with masses, and (b) exposing the fiber to air flow. The results demonstrate the applicability of an optical fiber as a flow sensor.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/4/925biomimetic flow sensorPDMS waveguideoptical detection principle |
| spellingShingle | Bianca Wiesmayr Markus Höglinger Michael Krieger Philip Lindner Werner Baumgartner Anna T. Stadler A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Waveguide Sensor that Mimics a Neuromast to Measure Fluid Flow Velocity Sensors biomimetic flow sensor PDMS waveguide optical detection principle |
| title | A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Waveguide Sensor that Mimics a Neuromast to Measure Fluid Flow Velocity |
| title_full | A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Waveguide Sensor that Mimics a Neuromast to Measure Fluid Flow Velocity |
| title_fullStr | A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Waveguide Sensor that Mimics a Neuromast to Measure Fluid Flow Velocity |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Waveguide Sensor that Mimics a Neuromast to Measure Fluid Flow Velocity |
| title_short | A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Waveguide Sensor that Mimics a Neuromast to Measure Fluid Flow Velocity |
| title_sort | polydimethylsiloxane pdms waveguide sensor that mimics a neuromast to measure fluid flow velocity |
| topic | biomimetic flow sensor PDMS waveguide optical detection principle |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/4/925 |
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