Microtechnology: Shaping the future of medicine
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Microtechnology: Shaping the future of medicine
Mon, 14/11/2016 - 13:30
Location:
Speaker:
Dr Giuseppe Schiavone
Affiliation:
Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces, in EPFL, Switzerland
Synopsis:
Microtechnology is of increasing interest for the world of medicine and many examples of micro-fabricated devices are found today at the interface between body and machine. Microtechnology enables smarter medical tools to be conceived, with the aim of providing enhanced functionality while reducing the impact on the host tissue. We live in a world where electronic devices of all sorts are readily available, and biologists and medical doctors have an advanced understanding of complex biological mechanisms. These two once separate fronts merge together today in the field of biointerfaces, where engineers face the challenge of developing devices that can effectively create a functional interface between machines and biology. The hard materials used for conventional electronics must be replaced with alternatives that can effectively coexist with the surrounding environment of soft tissues and living organisms. Microtechnology is therefore borrowing more and more features from the living world, such as softness, stretchability, and biocompatibility.
Biography:
Giuseppe Schiavone was born in Bitonto, Italy, in 1985. He received the B.Eng. degree in physical engineering and the M.Sc. degree in micro and nanotechnologies from the Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy, in 2007 and 2009, respectively; the M.Sc. degree in micro and nanoelectronics from Univérsité Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France, in 2009; and the Ph.D. degree in magnetic micro electromechanical systems from the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, U.K., in 2014. He held a position as Research Associate with the Research Institute of Signals, Sensors, and Systems, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. He currently holds a role as Scientist at the Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces, in EPFL, Switzerland. His research interests include microsystem technologies, soft bioelectronics, and electronic packaging.