title: A biomimetic mass-flow transducer utilizing all-optofluidic generation of self-digitized, pulse code-modulated optical pulse trains.
abstract: We present a new mass-flow transducer producing responses in the form of optical pulse trains that are encoded with information on the strength and position of the stimulus. We implemented the self-digitization and encoding capabilities all-optofluidically, without involving external electronics, by integrating one optical fiber cantilever with multiple polymer optical waveguides on a microfluidic platform. The transducer can also be configured to respond only to transitional stimuli. These features closely mimic the rate-coding, action potential labeling, and rapid adaptation processes observed in biological mechanoreceptors and allow multiple transducers to transmit signals over a single, shared channel. We fabricated the transducer using polymer-based soft-lithography techniques. Its characterization confirmed the stimulus strength-dependent generation of optical pulses and the feasibility of multiplexing 2(n-1) to 2(n) transducers using n waveguides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.
authors.forename: Jiwon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jungwook
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paek
authors.forename: Jaeyoun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D032701:Biomimetics; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000378:metabolism; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D055100:Optical Fibers; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014159:Transducers
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; C013830:baysilon