EECS CSE ECE College of Engineering University of Michigan

University of Michigan
EECS Department
Electrical and
Computer Engineering
EECS Building
1301 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122

ECE Highlights and Research Snapshots

Check out some of our latest research activities by faculty and students who are truly making a difference in the way we live - now and in the future.

	When GPS fails, this speck of an electronic device could step in In a pellet of glass the size of an apple seed, University of Michigan engineering researchers have packed seven devices that together could potentially provide navigation in the absence of the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS).
	A better single-photon emitter for quantum cryptography A silicon-based single-photon emitter developed by Prof. Pallab Bhattacharya and his group is simpler and more efficient than those currently available, and can be made using traditional semiconductor processing techniques.
	Better than X-rays: A more powerful terahertz imaging system Prof. Mona Jarrahi and her group developed a laser-powered terahertz source that will allow for deeper imaging of tissue, and the sensing of smaller quantities of drugs and explosives from farther distances than is currently possible.
	After Newtown: A new use for a weapons-detecting radar? In the aftermath of the Newtown school shooting, Prof. Kamal Sarabandi envisions a new use for a weapons-detecting radar system he's been developing for the past few years.
	Scientific Milestone: A room temperature Bose-Einstein condensate Prof. Pallab Bhattacharya and a team of researchers have created and directly observed what they believe to be a near-equilibrium room temperature Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). A BEC is an unusual state of matter in which a group of boson particles can exist in a single quantum state, giving scientists the rare opportunity to directly observe novel quantum phenomena. A paper on the topic, co-authored by Ayan Das, Junseok Heo, Animesh Banerjee and Wei Guo, was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
	Cockroaches and robots: Reverse engineering animals' balance systems [story and video] Prof. Shai Revzen combines his expertise in control engineering and biology to bring a new perspective to robotics. For example, he and colleagues at UC-Berkeley found that running cockroaches start to recover from being shoved sideways before their dawdling nervous system kicks in to tell their legs what to do. This insight into how biological systems stabilize could one day help engineers design steadier robots and improve doctors' understanding of human gait abnormalities.
	Next-gen e-readers: Improved 'peacock' technology could lock in color for high-res displays Prof. Jay Guo and his group have found a way to lock in so-called structural color, which is made with texture rather than chemicals. A paper on the work is published online in the current edition of the Nature journal Scientific Reports.
	Computers that Mimic the Brain [video] Prof. Wei Lu and his group are developing a new type of electronic switch that mimics the behavior of a biological neuron in the human brain, which is able to perform complex tasks much more efficiently than regular computers. These artificial synapses would be created through "memristors" built through nanotechnology that can be used to connect a large number of processes, thereby creating a type of computer that can learn without being programmed. Featured in the video are Prof. Lu and Patrick Sheridan.
	A laser to ID distant materials night and day [with video] Can large-output lasers be used to identify materials at long distances? Prof. Mohammed Islam is working to create lasers that can identify items that are more than a kilometer away. Watch the video to learn more.
	ECE faculty are MCubing to find answers - fast Through the MCubed program, ECE faculty are teaming up with colleagues across the University of Michigan - from Epidemiology to Political Science, Ophthalmology to Psychiatry, Neurosurgery to Astronomy - to pursue new initiatives deemed to have major societal impact. The program funds "novel, high-risk and transformative research projects." Read about the 10 newly funded projects.
	A Big Career from Small Things Ken Wise, William G. Dow Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of EECS, had a strong hand in shaping the field of MEMS and Microsystems. What were some of the key innovations and steps necessary to do this?
	Signal Processing at Michigan Michigan signal processing faculty apply their research to a wide array of real-world problems, while predicting where the next sweet spot is for new algorithms that can do things that haven't been done before.
	Predicting your risk of illness [video] Imagine a future when you could predict whether or not you are at risk of becoming sick. Al Hero, R. Jamison and Betty Williams Professor of Engineering, is working to make that a reality with his research into the human genome's response to viral illnesses. Hero's group is working to build a mathematical algorithm that can predict whether or not an individual is susceptible to a virus. He envisions a future where a personal device could be used to monitor that individual's risk factor, thereby changing the field of preventive medicine
	Faster and Safer CT Scans [video] Jeffrey Fessler and his research group have collaborated with GE Healthcare to greatly reduce the amount of radiation required to produce the same high-quality image. This technology was originally introduced at UM Hospital in early 2012, and is now being used by many hospitals around the country.
	Super-fine sound beam could one day be invisible scalpel A carbon-nanotube-coated lens that converts light to sound can focus high-pressure sound waves to finer points than ever before. This new therapeutic ultrasound approach could lead to an invisible knife for noninvasive surgery. Working on the project is an interdisciplinary team lead by Prof. Jay Guo, with Prof. Euisik Yoon, Prof. John Hart (ME), and Prof. Zhen Xu (BioMed)
	New Method for Building a Low-cost, High-Performance Electric Machine and Drive Could Result in Huge Energy Savings Prof. Heath Hofmann will be expanding his impact on the field of electric machines and drives in a newly funded project supported by the Bosch Energy Research Network. The research could potentially result in huge energy savings due to the widespread use of these machines and the applicability of Hofmann's research project to these devices
	Popular Mechanics names Jessy Grizzle as a top 10 world-changing innovator for 2012 For his work with the bipedal robot known as MABEL, Prof. Grizzle was named a Top 10 Innovator for 2012 by Popular Mechanics. One of MABEL's biggest feats was mastering the run - becoming the fastest bipedal robot with knees. Her successor, MARLO, just arrived at Michigan - ready to take up where MABEL left off.
	Nathan Roberts Earns Best Paper Award for Research to Assist in Remote Patient Monitoring Nathan Roberts designed an ultra-low power receiver for wireless sensor node applications that operates using nanowatts of power. The research will facilitate remote patient monitoring through wireless body area networks. His work earned him Best Student Paper Award at the 2012 IEEE Subthreshold Microelectronics Conference.
	Research in nuclear material detection earns Randy Schiffer an Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Award Randy Schiffer (BSE EE '11), a master's student in electrical engineering, received an Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Award from the U.S. Department of Energy for his research developing a scalable and portable hardware/software platform for the detection and classification of nuclear material.
	New Webinar Series by the Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSensing & Systems (WIMS2) Watch the webinars live, or listen to them after the fact online.
	2012 ICCAD Ten Year Retrospective Most Influential Paper Award For their ground-breaking research in the area of voltage scaling processors, this award went to Professors David Blaauw, Trevor Mudge, and alumni Dr. Steven Martin and Dr. Krisztian Flautner. Their 2002 paper was judged to be the most influential on research and industrial practice in computer-aided design of integrated circuits over the past ten years.
	Most exciting optics research in the past year Prof. Tal Carmon and his group showed that light can be used to cool objects at the range between atomic and device scale through spontaneous brillouin cooling. This surprising discovery has been recognized as among the most exciting peer-reviewed optics research of the past year by Optics and Photonics News. See the summary in the December issue, and the U-M Press Release describing the work.
	Juan Rivas Receives CAREER Award for Research in Next-Generation Power Electronics Prof. Juan Rivas was recently awarded an NSF CAREER award for his research project, Power converters with embedded passive components. With traditional methods nearing the end of their ability to improve much beyond their current state, Rivas will investigate new design techniques to dramatically improve the power density and performance of power electronics.
	Research on Display at the 2012 Graduate Symposium More than 85 research posters were presented by graduate students in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the 2012 College of Engineering Graduate Symposium. Students winners were announced for all the sessions, which included Energy, MEMS, Engineering in Medicine, Signal Processing and Computer Vision, Solid State Materials and Physics, and many more.
	Combining flexible, transparent electronics with high speed communications for the first time Prof. Zhaohui Zhong and his team of graduate students, Seunghyun Lee, Kyunghoon Lee, Chang-Hua Liu, and Girish S. Kulkarni, have built the first flexible, transparent digital modulator for high speed communications, made solely out of graphene.
	Bourne pursuit: Improving computer tracking of human activity Prof. Silvio Savarese and his group have found a way to improve a computer's human-tracking accuracy by more than 30 percent by looking not only at where the targets are going, but also at what they're doing. His computer vision algorithms will help make cars safer on the road, in addition to various other applications
	Developing the Wireless Component for Personalized Health Devices Prof. David Wentzloff will be developing the wireless component for the next generation of personalized health devices as a member of a new 5-year, $18.5M NSF Nanosystems Engineering Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technology (ASSIST), led by North Carolina State University.
	Nano-origami project combines art and engineering to further technology Prof. P-C Ku is co-PI in a new project funded by NSF to find out whether the ancient art of origami could bring nanotechnology into the third dimension. The goal is for manufacturers to use existing machinery to make high-tech "paper" that can then be folded into the desired device.
	Mina Rais-Zadeh Receives NASA Early Career Grant to Develop Technology Needed for PicoSatellites Prof. Mina Rais-Zadeh will pursue research into a "Chip-Scale Precision Timing Unit for PicoSatellites" as one of ten researchers selected in the inaugural year of NASA's Space Technology Research Opportunities for Early Career Faculty. Prof. Rais-Zadeh intends to develop a chip-scale timing unit that offers an order of magnitude higher performance compared to existing solutions.
	Silvio Savarese's research applying computer vision techniques to construction sites leads to best paper award and a new spinoff company Prof. Silvio Savarese received the 2011 Best Paper Award from the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management for research that applies fundamental principles developed for real-world scene understanding to the problem of efficient construction site monitoring. He co-founded the company Vision Construction Monitoring, LLC, to offer the technology to the construction industry.
	Sensors and Actuators for Portable Microsystems U-M grad and research fellow Dr. Christine Eun (BSE MSE PHD, EE '04 '06 '11) and Prof. Yogesh Gianchandani describe the diversity of applications possible for sensors based on microscale plasmas (or microdischarges) in the paper, "Microdischarge-Based Sensors and Actuators for Portable Microsystems: Selected Examples," published in the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, vol. 48, no. 6, and featured on the cover of the May-June print issue.
	The worlds first two-legged robot with a trip reflex The two-legged robot named MABEL can now recover from a stumble like a person, making her the world's first robot with a trip reflex, says Prof. Jessy Grizzle. The fastest bipedal robot with knees can now step up onto a platform that's in her path. She has no cameras, so she uses a sense of touch, so to speak, to keep steady footing.
	Ambiq Micro and Cyclos Semiconductor, 2 EECS startups, join the EE Times 60 Emerging Startups list Ambiq Micro, specializing in intelligent energy-efficient ICs, was founded in 2010 by Profs. Blaauw, Sylvester, and EE alumnus Dr. Hanson. Cyclos Semiconductor, specializing in resonant clock-mesh technology for IC design, was co-founded in 2004 by Prof. Papaefthymiou. [more about Ambiq Micro] [more about Cyclos Semiconductor]
	Prof. Mingyan Liu Receives Best Paper Award at the 11th ACM/IEEE Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks The paper, "In-Situ Soil Moisture Sensing: Measurement Scheduling and Estimation using Compressive Sensing," by Prof. Mingyan Liu and Xiaopei Wu (a visiting student), was named Best Paper at the 11th ACM/IEEE Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks. This research aims to monitor soil moisture over time using as little energy as possible while maintaining a high degree of accuracy. [Faculty: Mingyan Liu]
	Computer Vision Course is Part of a Groundbreaking Online Initiative An open and free online course on Computer Vision co-taught by Prof. Silvio Savarese and Prof. Fei Fei Li of Stanford will be offered as early as July 2012. The course is offered through the education company called Coursera, founded in 2011 and dedicated to providing free online courses taught by world-class faculty from the top universities. [Faculty: Silvio Savarese]
	$10 million NSF project to advance computer programming Making computer programming faster, easier and more intuitive is the goal of a new $10 million NSF project, Expeditions in Computer Augmented Program Engineering (ExCAPE), that involves Prof. Stephane Lafortune and is based at the U. of Pennsylvania. Prof. Lafortune aims to automate the complicated, time-consuming and expensive software-debugging process. [Faculty: Stephane Lafortune]
	A new way to cool materials with light New research that has come out of Prof. Tal Carmon's research group provides the first experimental evidence of an acoustical density wave in a solid using Brillouin scattering. This research overturns scientists understanding of how light and sound interact in the process called Brillouin scattering. [Faculty: Tal Carmon] [Alumnus: Matthew Tomes] [PostDoc: Gaurav Bahl]
	3-D electrical force fields manipulate microscale particles Prof. Kamal Sarabandi and colleagues at the University of Michigan are using electrical energy as a 3-D force field to manipulate microscale objects. Potential applications for this research include biochemical reactions, sample analysis and synthesis, molecular genetics, cell manipulation, and biotechnology production. [Faculty: Kamal Sarabandi]
	Artificial synapses could lead to advanced computer memory and machines that mimic biological brains In a step toward computers that mimic the parallel processing of complex biological brains, researchers from HRL Labs and Prof. Wei Lu's group have built a type of artificial synapse. They have demonstrated the first functioning memristor array stacked on a CMOS circuit. Memristors combine the functions of memory and logic like the synapses of biological brains [Faculty: Wei Lu]
	Using imprint processing to mass-produce tiny antennas could improve wireless electronics Profs. Forrest and Grbic have found a way to mass-produce antennas so small that they approach the fundamental minimum size limit for their bandwidth, or data rate, of operation. These antennas could lead to a new generation of wireless electronics and mobile devices. [Faculty: Stephen Forrest, Anthony Grbic]
	Insect cyborgs to search and monitor hazardous environs Research conducted by Prof. Khalil Najafi and doctoral student Erkan Aktakka may lead to the use of insects to monitor hazardous situations before sending in humans. They are finding ways to harvest energy from insects, and take the utility of the miniature cyborgs to the next level. [Faculty: Khalil Najafi] [Alumnus: Erkan Aktakka]
	New technology allows CT scans to be done with a fraction of the conventional radiation dose A technological breakthrough is allowing the University of Michigan Health System to be the first teaching hospital in the U.S. to perform some CT scans using a fraction of the radiation dose required for a conventional CT image. Veo is not a new type of machine, but a new way of processing data developed by Prof. Jeff Fessler. Using a technique called Model-based Iterative Reconstruction (MBIR), the technology employs sophisticated algorithms to squeeze more information out of the existing X-ray data. [Faculty: Jeff Fessler]
	'Perfect black' coating can render a 3D object flat, raises intriguing dark veil possibility in astronomy A carbon nanotube coating developed by Prof. Jay Guo acts as a "magic black cloth" that conceals an object's three-dimensional geometry and makes it look like a flat black sheet. The 70-micron coating, or carbon nanotube carpet, is about half the thickness of a sheet of paper. It absorbs 99.9 percent of the light that hits it. [Faculty: Jay Guo]
	A smarter way to make ultraviolet light beams Existing coherent ultraviolet light sources are power hungry, bulky and expensive. Prof. Tal Carmon and Prof. Mona Jarrahi have found a better way to build compact ultraviolet sources with low power consumption that could improve information storage, microscopy and chemical analysis. The researchers have optimized a type of optical resonator to take an infrared signal from relatively cheap telecommunication-compatible lasers and, using a low-power, nonlinear process, boost it to a higher-energy ultraviolet beam. [Faculty: Tal Carmon, Mona Jarrahi] [Alumni: Jeremy Moore, Matthew Tomes]
	MABEL is now the world's fastest two-legged robot with knees A robot can run like a human—a feat that represents the height of agility and efficiency for a two-legged machine. With a peak pace of 6.8 miles per hour, MABEL is believed to be the world's fastest bipedal robot with knees. Few robots can run, and the researchers say no machine but MABEL can do it with such a human-like gait. Its weight is distributed like a person's. It has a heavier torso and light, flexible legs with springs that act like tendons. [Faculty: Jessy Grizzle]
	Predicting who will get sick Why do some folks who take every precaution still get the flu, while others never even get the sniffles? Prof. Al Hero uses genomics to begin to unravel what in our complex genomic data accounts for why some get sick while others don't. Eventually, if scientists can understand what happens at the level of the genome that makes people more or less susceptible to viral illness, they could potentially develop therapies to prevent the illness. [Faculty: Al Hero]
	Integrating Circuits, Sensing, and Software to Realize the Cubic-mm Computing Class Faculty at the University of Michigan are continuing their pursuit of millimeter-scale computing with a 5-year, $3M NSF grant to develop cubic-mm size sensor nodes. These sensing platforms will incorporate transducers (i.e. imaging, temperature sensing), wireless communication, a high accuracy timer, processor, memory, battery and energy harvesting in a 1mm3 volume. Current wireless sensor nodes measure at least 1cm3 and are hampered by short lifetimes. [Faculty: David Blaauw, Prabal Dutta, Dennis Sylvester, David Wentzloff]
	Powering breakthrough technologies Ambiq Micro’s microcontroller, just one square millimeter, is designed to last for dozens of years. The power-frugal, miniature package is what will allow high impact breakthroughs such as an implantable device to measure eye pressure in a glaucoma patient, or “smart paint” on bridges that can warn of impending failures. [Faculty: David Blaauw, Dennis Sylvester] [Alumnus: Scott Hanson]
	Most powerful millimeter-scale energy harvester generates electricity from vibrations Electrical engineers at the University of Michigan have built a device that can harness energy from vibrations and convert it to electricity with five to ten times greater efficiency and power than other devices in its class. And it's smaller than a penny. [Faculty: Khalil Najafi] [Alumnus: Erkan Aktakka]
	MURI at Michigan will improve how information is gathered and interpreted in next-generation sensor networks U-M is home to a new Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) called: Value-centered information theory for adaptive learning, inference, tracking, and exploitation. This program will lay the foundation for a new systems information theory that applies to both general controlled information gathering and inference systems with mission planning, while accounting for the value of information. [Faculty: Al Hero, Raj Nadakuditi]
	New NSF center explores ways to manipulate light at the nanoscale A new $13-million National Science Foundation center based at the University of Michigan will develop high-tech materials that manipulate light in new ways. The research could enable advances such as invisibility cloaks, nanoscale lasers, high-efficiency lighting, and quantum computers. [Faculty: Ted Norris, Pallab Bhattacharya, PC Ku, Jamie Phillips, Duncan Steel, Roberto Merlin, Tony Grbic, Jay Guo, John Schotland]
	Solar Power without Solar Cells: A Hidden Magnetic Effect of Light Could Make It Possible A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by University of Michigan researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells. The researchers found a way to make an “optical battery.” In the process, they overturned a century-old tenet of physics. [Faculty: Steve Rand]
	Minimally-invasive brain implant to translate thoughts into movement A brain implant developed at the University of Michigan uses the body's skin like a conductor to wirelessly transmit the brain's neural signals to control a computer, and may eventually be used to reactivate paralyzed limbs. The implant is called the BioBolt, and unlike other neural interface technologies that establish a connection from the brain to an external device such as a computer, it's minimally invasive and low power. [Faculty: Euisik Yoon, Ken Wise]
	Toward computers that fit on a pen tip: New technologies usher in millimeter-scale computing era A prototype implantable eye pressure monitor for glaucoma patients is believed to contain the first complete millimeter-scale computing system. And a compact radio that needs no tuning to find the right frequency could be a key enabler to organizing millimeter-scale systems into wireless sensor networks. These networks could one day track pollution, monitor structural integrity, perform surveillance, or make virtually any object smart and trackable. [Faculty: David Blaauw, Dennis Sylvester, David Wentzloff]
	New laser could treat acne with telecom technology A laser developed at the University of Michigan is designed to melt fat without burning surrounding tissue. It could potentially be used to treat acne by targeting the oil-producing sebaceous glands, which are known to be involved in the development of the skin disease. The laser's 1,708-nanometer, infrared beam takes advantage of a unique wavelength that fat can absorb more efficiently than water, which makes up more than half of the human body. [Faculty: Mohammed Islam]
	VIDEO: Micro Electro Mechanical Systems – MEMS Gain insight into the pervasiveness of MEMS in our lives, and its remarkable history here at Michigan.