What MEMS Devices and Systems Has the Caltech MEMS Lab Developed?

Updated

The Caltech MEMS Lab, led by Professor Yu-Chong Tai, has developed a broad range of MEMS devices spanning sensors, actuators, and fully integrated systems. According to the lab's own site, its earlier work focused heavily on active fluid sensing and control, producing devices such as pressure sensors, shear-stress sensors, hot-wire anemometers, flexible sensor skins, magnetic actuators, and rubber-balloon actuators. What distinguishes this portfolio is a consistent emphasis on MEMS system integration rather than isolated components—examples include smart MEMS surfaces for turbulence drag reduction, MEMS for delta-wing aerodynamic control, and MEMS-maneuvered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Sensor and Actuator Devices

The lab's device-level work covers both sensing and actuation:

  • Pressure sensors — for fluid sensing and control applications
  • Shear-stress sensors — measuring forces at fluid–surface interfaces
  • Hot-wire anemometers — for flow measurement
  • Flexible sensor skins — distributed sensing over conformable surfaces
  • Magnetic actuators — electromagnetic actuation at the MEMS scale
  • Rubber-balloon actuators — soft, deformable actuation

These were developed during a period when the lab worked extensively on active fluid sensing and control, and they illustrate the lab's pattern of pairing a sensing modality with a matching actuation or control mechanism.

Integrated MEMS Systems

Beyond individual devices, the lab treats system integration as a core research theme. Documented examples include:

System Function
Smart MEMS surface Drag reduction in turbulent flow
MEMS for delta-wing control Aerodynamic control of a delta wing
MEMS-maneuvered UAV Unmanned aerial vehicle controlled via MEMS

These projects show how the lab moves from a single transducer to a working system—sensing flow or aerodynamic state, then actuating to change it.

Older Device Examples

The lab also lists a set of earlier fabricated devices that reflect its microfabrication base: micromotors, microphones, neural chips, micro relays, micro power generators, micro valves, and micro pumps. These span mechanical, acoustic, neural, power, and microfluidic functions, and they indicate the range of the lab's fabrication capabilities over time.

How This Connects to the Lab's Later Direction

The fluid-sensing, actuation, and integration work above forms the foundation for the lab's subsequent shift toward biomedical applications. Over the past 20 years, Professor Tai has led a major research effort into medical devices, including HPLC-on-a-chip, blood-labs-on-a-chip, and wireless micro drug delivery, along with miniature implants for cortical, retinal, and spinal applications. The same MEMS/NEMS fabrication and integration skills developed in the aerodynamic and fluidic projects carry over into these bio/medical systems.

For a full publication list, the lab directs readers to its Publications page.