Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are a novel means of human-computer interaction relying on the direct measurement of brain signals. Possible applications consist of replacing, restoring, improving, enhancing and supplementing the natural outputs of the central nervous system, as well as for brain functions investigation. In considering daily-life constraints, researchers are exploring the possibility to provide visual stimuli by means of smart glasses or visors, which are increasingly exploited in extended reality (XR). Moreover, to detect the elicited potentials, commercial devices for electroencephalography (EEG) are taken into account. Nevertheless, those studies were more application-oriented and they did not deal with a metrological characterization of the stimulation and detection equipment.

In bridging this gap, metrology was considered for a significant enhancement of the BCI systems both in terms of designing and in operational understanding. It was demonstrated that, although often overlooked, applied metrology plays an important role in this field. Indeed, if the stimulation and detection equipment is not fully characterized, the measures of interest for the brain-computer interface system may result in misleading interpretation of the brain functioning. Instead, by means of the mentioned results, one can compare the measured brain signals with the behaviour of the equipment in the time and frequency domains, so to correctly identify the contribution of the “human transducer” in the BCI measurement chain.

Thermal imaging, or thermography, consists in measuring and imaging the thermal radiation emitted by every object above the absolute zero temperature. As this radiation is temperature-dependent, the infrared images recorded can be converted into temperature maps, or thermograms, allowing retrieving valuable information about the object under investigation. Thermal imaging has been known since the middle of the 20th century and recent technological achievements concerning the infrared imaging devices, together with the development of new procedures based on transient thermal emission measurements revolutionized the field. Nowadays, thermography is a method whose advantages are undisputed in engineering. It is routinely used for the non-destructive testing of materials, to investigate electronic components, or in the photovoltaic industry to detect defects in solar cells.

Despite an early interest, thermal imaging is currently rarely used for biomedical applications and even less in clinical settings. One reason is probably the initial disappointing results obtained solely with static measurement procedures, where the sample is investigated in its steady state, and using unhandy and performance-limited first-generation infrared cameras. In addition, the retrieval of quantitative data using dynamic thermal imaging procedures often requires complex mathematical modelling of the sample which can be demanding in biomedical applications due to the large variability intrinsic to life science field.

The goal of this lecture is to a) demonstrate the potential of dynamic thermal imaging for biomedical applications and b) give the reader the necessary background to successfully translate the technology to his/her specific biomedical applications.

In a first step, the basics of thermal radiation and thermal imaging device technology will be reviewed. Rather than giving an exhaustive description of the technology, we aim to familiarize the reader with key concepts that will allow selecting an optimal infrared camera depending on the specific application. In a subsequent part, we will present the foundation of thermodynamics needed to understand and be able to mathematically model heat transfer processes happening inside the sample under investigation and between the sample and its environment. Such thermal exchanges are responsible for the sample surface temperature. As next steps, we will present in detailed and compare the different procedures used in dynamic thermal imaging.  Dynamic thermal imaging means that the sample surface thermal emission is monitored in its transient state and exhibit superior capabilities compared to passive thermal imaging. The thermal stimulation can be achieved with different modalities depending on the sample under investigation (LASER or flash lamps to investigate thin coatings, alternating magnetic fields to detect magnetic material, microwave to heat up water, or ultrasound to monitor cracks). Various procedures are possible: stepped- and pulsed-thermal imaging, pulsed-phase and lock-in thermal imaging. Each approach exhibiting specific characteristics in term of signal to noise ratio or measurement duration.

As an illustration, we will demonstrate how lock-in thermal imaging can be advantageously used to build extremely sensitive instruments to detect and characterize stimuli-responsive nanoparticles (both plasmonic and magnetic) in complex environments like cell cultures, tissue or food. In this example, we will present the research instrument in detail with the choice of the various components, the digital lock-in demodulation implemented, the mathematical modelling of the sample required to extract quantitative information as well as the resulting setup performances. The goal being to allow the reader to translate the dynamic thermal imaging measurement principles to its own biomedical application.

Optical Instrumentation, computer vision, and augmented reality are powerful platform technologies. In this lecture, we will discuss how these technologies can be used for medical applications. I will give an overview of the technologies and current challenges relevant to medical and surgical settings. The recent advances in image acquisition, computer vision, photonics, and instrumentation present the scientific community with the opportunity to develop new systems to impact healthcare. Leveraging an integrated design, advantages of hardware and software approach can be combined, and shortcomings can be complemented. I will present new approaches of fluorescence imaging for surgical applications. We will discuss hardware instrumentation, algorithm development, and system deployment. New development in multimodal imaging and image registration will also be discussed. For example, a combination of real-time intraoperative optical imaging and CT-based surgical navigation represents a promising approach for clinical decision support. Integration of 3D imaging and augmented reality provides surgeons with an intuitive way to visualize surgical data. In addition to technological development, I will discuss the clinical translation of systems and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Interdisciplinary approaches to solving complex problems in surgically relevant settings will be described.

The heart is an amazing organic engine that converts chemical energy into work. Each heartbeat begins with an electrically-released 'spark' of calcium, which triggers force development and cell shortening, at the cost of energy and oxygen, and the release of heat. We have developed new measurement systems to measure all of these processes simultaneously while subjecting isolated samples of heart tissue to realistic contraction patterns that mimic the loads experienced by the heart with each beat. These devices are effective 'dynamometers' for the heart, that allow us to measure the performance of the heart and its tissues, much in the same way that you might test the performance of your motor vehicle on a 'dyno.'

In this talk, I will overview how we have developed our own actuators, force transducers, heat sensors, and optical measurement systems to study nature's engine: heart muscle. Heart muscle force and length are measured and controlled, beat by beat, to microNewton, and nanometer precision by a laser interferometer. At the same time,  the muscle is scanned in the view of an optical microscope equipped with a fluorescent calcium imaging system. The changing muscle geometry is monitored in 4D by a custom-built optical coherence tomograph, and the spacing of muscle-proteins is imaged in real-time by transmission-microscopy. Muscle heat production is measured to nanoWatt precision using thermopile sensors. We combine all of these technologies with a hardware-based real-time acquisition and control environment and interpret results with the aid of a computational model.

Our dynamometer allows us to diagnose the 'performance' heart tissue, even as it is affected by disease, exercise, drugs, and diet. By applying this 'bioengineering approach' to the study of heart tissues, we have gathered new insight into the function of the heart - information that we hope will lead to better treatment and management of the engine upon which we all rely!

Optical sensors and techniques are used widely in many areas of instrumentation and measurement. Optical sensors are often, conveniently, ‘non-contact’, and thus impose negligible disturbance of the parameter undergoing measurement. Valuable information can be represented and recorded in space, time, and optical wavelength. They can provide exceptionally high spatial and/or temporal resolution, high bandwidth, and range. Moreover, optical sensors can be inexpensive and relatively simple to use.

At the Bioinstrumentation Lab at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, we are particularly interested in developing techniques for measuring parameters from and inside and outside the body. Such measurements help us to quantify physiological performance, detect and treat disease, and develop novel medical and scientific instruments. In making such measurements we often draw upon and develop our own optical sensing and measurement methods – from interferometry, fluorimetry and diffuse light imaging, to area-based and volume-based optical imaging and processing techniques.

In this talk, I will overview some of the new interesting optically-based methods that we have recently developed for use in bioengineering applications. These include 1) diffuse optical imaging methods for monitoring the depth of a drug as it is rapidly injected through the skin, without requiring a needle; 2) stretchy soft optical sensors for measuring strains of up to several 100 % during movement; 3) multi-camera image registration techniques for measuring the 3D shape and strain of soft tissues; 4) optical coherence tomography techniques for detecting the 3D shape of deforming muscle tissues, and 5) polarization-sensitive imaging techniques for classifying the optical and mechanical properties of biological membranes.

While these techniques sensors and techniques have been motivated by applications in bioengineering, the underlying principles have broad applicability to other areas of instrumentation and measurement.

Scientific and industrial worlds have started recently to look again with interest to the basic rules to perform reliability, availability and safety analysis and design on complex electro-mechanical systems. The main failure modes on electronic devices and sensors as well as the main techniques for failure mode investigation are of interest in modern system design. Statistical characterization of the main probability density functions and degradation models of innovation is mandatory to build lasting and safe products. The main reliability design techniques such as: fault tree analysis, cut set method, minimal path approach, critical block analysis for reliability are requested by companies worldwide as well as the knowledge of the main failure modes and reliability databases and handbooks as MIL-HDBK217, OREDA, BELLCORE, etc… Maintenance policies with special attention to corrective and preventive ones are also affected by reliability design in terms of advantages and disadvantages when applied to electro-mechanical systems. The main safety standards as IEC61508, IEC 61511 and EN50129, EN50128, EN50126 are usually considered in industrial design. The aim of this talk is to enable companies to develop inner confidence on advanced modelling techniques involving reliability, availability and safe design. Under this spotlight in addition to traditional and well known statistical models, innovative modelling techniques based on statistical data representation will be introduced and tailored to some specific case studies in the fields of bio instruments, transportations and oil & gas contexts.

The tutorial will focus on sensor and measurement systems for new generations of vehicles with driver-assisted/autonomous capability. This is the main trend that is revolutionizing vehicles and mobility of people and goods and is also making smart our cities. The economic and social impacts of this application field are huge. Worldwide every year 90 million vehicles are sold, but 1.25 million people are killed due to lack of safety. In the US 3.1 billions of gallons of fuel are wasted due to traffic congestion. Assisted driving and autonomous driving aim at increasing safety, at improving fuel efficiency and our lifestyle by avoiding traffic congestion, at ensuring mobility for elderly and disabled people (inclusivity). The interest in this research subject is demonstrated by the huge investments of companies like Google, Intel, Tesla, Uber, Ford, GM, to name just a few, and by technology alliances, e.g. between BMW and Intel, planning autonomous cars for 2021. A convergence between automotive and ICT/Electronics industry is foreseen in the near future. An example of this convergence is the 5G Automotive Association http://www.5gaa.org/, which includes all main cars’ manufacturers, telecom service providers, electronic industries, measurement system providers (Keysight, Rohde&Schwarz).

The key enabling technologies for this scenario are the sensing and measurement systems, needed for the accurate vehicle positioning and navigation, for vehicle context-awareness, obstacle detection, and collision avoidance, for driver-assistance (enhanced vision, driver’s attention and fatigue detection).

The lecture will be divided into multiple sections.

First, in the Introduction, innovation and market trends in the field of sensor and measurement technologies applied to vehicles and smart mobility systems will be discussed, focusing on next generation of driver-assisted/autonomous vehicles.

Then, new Radar and Lidar systems, appearing on-board vehicles beside an array of imaging cameras, will be discussed for measurement of obstacle positions, distance, and relative speed. A trade-off has to be found between the power and size of active sensing systems like Radar and Lidar and their maximum measurement range. Moreover, in continuous wave Radars, the limited frequency sweep range and the limited number of TX/RX channels lead to limits for the resolution in distance, direction of arrival, and speed measurements. Examples of X-band mobility surveillance Radar and mm-wave automotive Radar will be provided.

On the other hand, MOEMS (micro opto electro mechanical systems)-based scanned systems, used to reduce size and cost of Lidars are causing distortions that are worsening the accuracy of light-based measurements. Distortions due to fish-eye lenses, used to enlarge the field-of-view, are decreasing measurement performance of imaging sensors. Techniques to mitigate such artifacts will be discussed.

Practical examples of traffic sign recognition systems, road signs recognition, image mosaicking for all-around view will be discussed. In addition, Lidar and imaging cameras suffer from decreased measurement performance in case of harsh operating conditions (e.g. bad weather or light conditions).

New biometric sensing and measurement systems will be also reviewed, such as Radar-based contactless heart/breath-rate measurement, smart steering-wheel for skin temperature/galvanic-response measurements or heart-rate detection, with the final aim of detecting the driver’s attention or health status.

Concerning on-board sensors for positioning and navigation, recent advances in MEMS accelerometers and gyroscope will be discussed. A careful analysis will be carried out about the measurement errors they cause on position and navigation, due to their bias and random walk output noise.

Finally, the lecture will analyze the trend in computing platforms, where parallel architectures and machine learning/AI (artificial intelligence) techniques, will be exploited to manage in real-time many and heterogeneous sources of measurements and to make autonomous decisions.

Suggestions for future directions of interest for the I&M Society, and references to recent publications on IMS journals and conferences, in the field of automated and connected vehicles, will be provided as a conclusion.

Optical sensors and photonic devices have technically matured to the point that they are increasingly considered as alternatives for their electronic counterparts in numerous applications across the industry. In particular, the utilization of optical sensors has been considered for harsh, high-voltage or explosive environments where conventional transducers are difficult to deploy or where their operation is compromised by electromagnetic interference.

This prospective talk will explain the motivation for research on fiber-optic sensors, highlight the basic theories underlying their operation, and present selected examples of R&D projects carried out within the Advanced Sensors Team in the Institute for Energy and Environment at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, targeting a range of industrial applications. The goal is to highlight great potential of optical sensors and to enrich recipients’ experience in instrumentation and measurement using alternative, non-electronic methods.

Alternatively, for audiences with greater photonics sensors awareness, the presentation can be tailored to solely focus on reporting the most recent progress in fiber sensing research for power and energy industries carried out within the team. In this instance, it will highlight specific examples of the measurement needs within the power and energy sectors and report on the novel approaches in fiber sensing to address these needs. In particular, it will illustrate such applications as downhole and subsea electrical plant monitoring; voltage and current measurement for power system metering and protection in the context of distributed generation; force and magnetic field monitoring in the context of thermonuclear fusion research; and, measurement of the loss of loading within concrete prestressing steel tendons in nuclear power plant applications. As the potential good solutions to these respective measurement needs, this talk will introduce such emerging technologies as the hybrid fiber Bragg grating (FBG) voltage and current sensors; novel solid-state FBG interrogation schemes utilizing wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and time-domain multiplexing (TDM) architectures (not requiring tunable spectral filters or lasers); and novel FBG sensors and interrogation schemes utilizing some promising intrinsic sensing mechanisms capable of measuring such quantities as magnetic and electric fields or bend.

Robots have changed the way we work, play, live, and unfortunately fight wars. Robots invaded the workplace many decades ago, initially for factory automation. They are increasing their presence in the home at a very rapid pace, primarily for assisted living. Wars are being fought using robots on the ground, above and below the waters and in the air. In the next decade, the world will witness the largest growth of robots in the service industry. From the days of industrial automation using monstrous robots, the world has advanced to micro and nanorobots traversing the veins of a human body to deliver drugs.

What makes the robots so capable and versatile as they are today? Will they ever be able to attain the full functionality, intelligence, and versatility of human beings? Or is it wishful thinking? What will be the breakthrough technology that will enable the robots to make that quantum jump in their capabilities?

For successful completion of tasks, robots have to perceive the world around them, the workspace in which they operate. At the heart of this perception are the inputs from a gamut of sensors. Accurate measurement of physical parameters and fusion of sensory data has a profound influence on the accuracy of the perception model. While a lot of energy and resources are still being expended for research into robot locomotion and actuators for motion, it is the advancement in sensors and measurement technology that will catapult the robots to the next level of versatility and acceptance. Miniaturisation of sensors and precision measurement will be the flavour of research in the next decade which will make a career in instrumentation and measurement a very attractive proposition for young scientists and researchers.

This presentation will -

• highlight the importance of sensing and measurement in the world of robotics
• give an overview of the various sensors and sensing technologies that are in vogue in robotics
• discuss future direction of research and development of sensors for robotics – MEMS, biological sensors, etc.
• Illustrate case studies of advanced sensing and instrumentation in autonomous robots such as a swarm of super-intelligent Nano Quadrocopters, a robot to inspect plant health and growth in a laboratory, and a manually operated robot to move hospital beds.

This presentation will be informative for industry and academicians and enthuse engineers and students to take up a career in sensors and instrumentation.

The electromagnetic properties (permittivity and permeability) of a material determine how the material interacts with an electromagnetic field. The knowledge of these properties and their frequency and temperature dependence is of great importance in various areas of science and engineering in both basic and applied research. It has always been an important quantity to electrical engineers and physicists involved in the design and application of circuit components. Over the past several decades the knowledge of the electromagnetic properties has become an important property to scientists and engineers involved in the design of stealth vehicles. These applications are most often associated with the defense industry. Besides these traditional applications, the knowledge of the electromagnetic properties has become increasingly important to agricultural engineers, biological engineers and food scientists. The most obvious application of this knowledge is in microwave and RF heating of food products. Here the knowledge of the electromagnetic properties is important in determining how long a food item needs to be exposed to the RF or microwave energy for proper cooking. For prepackaged food items, the knowledge of the electromagnetic properties of the packaging materials is also important. The interaction with the packaging material also determines the cooking time. Besides these obvious applications there are also numerous not-so-obvious applications. Electromagnetic properties can often be related to a physical parameter of interest. A change in the molecular structure or composition of material results in a change in its electromagnetic properties. It has been demonstrated that material properties such as moisture content, fruit ripeness, bacterial content, mechanical stress, tissue health and other seemingly unrelated parameters are related to the dielectric properties or permittivity of the material. Many key parameters of colloids such as structure, consistency and concentration are directly related to the electromagnetic properties. Yeast concentration in a fermentation process, bacterial count in milk, and the detection and monitoring of microorganisms are a few examples on which research has been performed. Diseased tissue has different electromagnetic properties than healthy tissue.

Accurate measurements of these properties can provide scientists and engineers with valuable information that allows them to properly use the material in its intended application or to monitor a process for improved quality control. Measurement techniques typically involve placing the material in an appropriate sample holder and determining the permittivity from measurements made on the sample holder. The sample holder can be a parallel plate or coaxial capacitor, a resonant cavity or a transmission line. These structures are used because the relationship between the electromagnetic properties and measurements are fundamental and well understood. One disadvantage of these types of sample holders is that many materials cannot be easily placed in them. Sample preparation is almost always required. This limits their use in real-time monitoring of processes. Another disadvantage is that several of these sample holders are usable only over a narrow frequency range. Extracting physical properties from electromagnetic property measurements often requires measurements made over a wide frequency range. Techniques for which this relationship, between electromagnetic properties and measurements, is not as straightforward have also been employed. One of these techniques is the open-ended coaxial-line probe. This technique has attracted much attention because of its applicability to nondestructive testing over a relatively broad frequency range. It can be used to measure a wide variety of materials including liquids, solids and semisolids. These attributes make it a very attractive technique for measuring biological, agriculture and food materials. In its simplest form, it consists of a coaxial cable without a connector attached to one end. This end is inserted into the material being measured. All of these measurement techniques will be reviewed. These techniques cover the frequency range from DC to 1 THz.

The permittivity (dielectric properties) of a material is one of the factors that determine how the material interacts with an electromagnetic field. The knowledge of the dielectric properties of materials and their frequency and temperature dependence is of great importance in various areas of science and engineering in both basic and applied research. It has always been an important quantity to electrical engineers and physicists involved in the design and application of circuit components. Over the past several decades the knowledge of permittivity has become an important property to scientists and engineers involved in the design of stealth vehicles. These applications are most often associated with the defense industry. For the typical electrical engineer permittivity is a number that is needed to solve Maxwell’s equations. One of the purposes of this presentation is to give an explanation of why a material has a particular permittivity. The short answer is that a material has a particular permittivity because of its molecular structure. Another is how the permittivity can be related to other physical material properties.

The knowledge of permittivity has become increasingly important to agricultural engineers, biological engineers and food scientists. The most obvious application of this knowledge is in microwave and RF heating of food products. Here the knowledge of the dielectric properties is important in determining how long a food item needs to be exposed to the RF or microwave energy for proper cooking. For prepackaged food items, the knowledge of the dielectric properties of the packaging materials is also important. The interaction with the packaging material also determines the cooking time. Besides these obvious applications there are also numerous not-so-obvious applications. Dielectric properties can often be related to a physical parameter of interest. A change in the molecular structure or composition of a material results in a change in its permittivity. It has been demonstrated that material properties such as moisture content, fruit ripeness, bacterial content, mechanical stress, tissue health and other seemingly unrelated parameters are related to the dielectric properties or permittivity of the material. Many key parameters of colloids such as structure, consistency and concentration are directly related to the dielectric properties. Yeast concentration in a fermentation process, bacterial count in milk, and the detection and monitoring of microorganisms are a few examples on which research has been performed. Diseased tissue has a different permittivity from healthy tissue. Accurate measurements of these properties can provide scientists and engineers with valuable information that allows them to properly use the material in its intended application or to monitor a process for improved quality control. Techniques for measurement techniques will be reviewed. These techniques cover the frequency range from DC to 1 THz.

Metrology is in the very basis of acquiring scientific knowledge. In today’s interdependent world, ensuring uniform metrology inside and across national boundaries is a very important enabling factor of both national and international trade. In electric power systems, measurements of electrical and non-electrical quantities are necessary for their control, protection, and safe and reliable operation. Another very significant application of metrology is in electric energy trade, i.e. in revenue metering for both industrial and residential customers, but also between countries. The impact of distributed power generation, renewable energy resources, and the deregulation of electrical power utilities introduced in many countries will be discussed. An attempt will be made to address the question of what Smart Grids really are, and how they relate to smart metering, synchrophasor measurements, energy storage, and other power system technologies. The role of National Measurements Institutes will be highlighted. New instrumentation and measurement methods for both highest-accuracy and industrial applications for AC electrical power and energy, including high-voltage and high-current calibrations and applications, will be addressed.

Rogowski coils have been used for a long time for monitoring or measurements of high, impulse, and transient currents. Rogowski coils are used for monitoring and control, protective relaying, power distribution switches, electric arc furnaces, electromagnetic launchers, core testing of large rotating electrical machines, partial-discharge measurements in high-voltage cables, power electronics, resistance welding in the automotive industry, and plasma physics. Since their nonmagnetic cores do not saturate, they can operate over wide current ranges with inherent linearity. The applications entail low and high accuracy coils, measuring currents from a few amperes to tens of MA, at frequencies from a fraction of hertz to hundreds of MHz. The increased interest in Rogowski coils over the last decades has led to significant improvements in their design and performance. Their development has included innovative designs, new materials, machining techniques, and printed circuit board structures. This presentation will cover the principles of operation, design, calibration, standards, and applications of Rogowski coils.