Nanotechnologies and bio-inspiration for healthcare, communication, more

(Nanowerk News) Experts from academia and industrial research groups will gather in April in the Savoy Alps for the premier European meeting on the latest research in microtechnologies from bio-engineered and bio-inspired systems to developments in photonics materials, devices, and applications. SPIE Microtechnologies will run 24-26 April at Alpexpo in Grenoble, France. Featured technologies include smart sensors, energy harvesting, nano-fabrication and self-assembly, quantum communication, and hybrid nanosystems.
SPIE Mictrotechnologies is organized into five technical conferences, on smart sensors, actuators, and MEMS; VLSI circuits and systems; bio-MEMS and medical microdevices; nanotechnology; and integrated photonics.
Highlights include three plenary presentations:
  • An autonomous structural health monitoring system: Carol Featherston, Cardiff University, will discuss the challenges in designing and implementing an autonomous structural health monitoring system, particularly in the context of an aircraft environment.
  • Biologically inspired large scale chemical sensor arrays and embedded data processing: Santiago Marco, University of Barcelona, will focus on the EU-funded project NEUROCHEM, which has developed novel computing paradigms and a chemical sensor array inspired by the olfactory pathway.
  • Micro- and nanoscale thermoelectrics: an overview over basic concepts and recent advances: Markus Winkler, Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM, will present results from previous literature and from the research group at Fraunhofer to illustrate the diversity of thermoelectric material research.
  • Thomas Becker, EADS Deutschland GmbH, is symposium chair, and Christos Tsamis of the National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos and Gerhard Krötz of the University of Applied Sciences in Kempten (Germany) are symposium co-chairs. Marc Belleville, CEA-Leti , is the local co-chair.
    Complete details are on the SPIE Microtechnologies event website.
    Accepted conference proceedings papers will be published in the SPIE Digital Library as soon as approved after the meeting, and in print volumes and digital collections.
    About SPIE
    SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. The Society serves nearly 225,000 constituents from approximately 150 countries, offering conferences, continuing education, books, journals, and a digital library in support of interdisciplinary information exchange, professional networking, and patent precedent. SPIE provided over $3.2 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2012.
    Source: SPIE