With major funding from the National Science Foundation, the Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems (known as ERC/WIMS) was officially established September 1, with the University of Michigan serving as lead institution and with an initial budget of $60 million over a ten-year period.

The U of M is an acknowledged leader in developing microelectromechanical systems with wireless capabilities, while Michigan Tech was tapped for its expertise in machining with microscopic cutting tools and for its education programs, including distance eduction.

Among the center's first projects is the design and construction of a "smart" tool for use in implanting a new cochlear implant. These tiny, tube-shaped devices are already restoring hearing for many people with profound hearing loss. They are surgically inserted into the cochlea, a coil-shaped part of the inner ear, and transmit electrical impulses directly to the auditory nerve, bypassing portions of the ear's interior that are damaged by disease or injury. However, their sound quality has been compared to an AM station fading out on the edge of its range, largely because the implants are limited to only 28 stimulating electrodes. The ERC/WIMS researchers plan to more than quadruple that number, to 128 electrodes, said Associate Professor Craig Friedrich (ME-EM), the center's technical leader at MTU and one of several faculty who will be contributing to the project. But so far, no housing exists that can protect all those microsensors and be safely pushed by the surgeon along the narrow, spiral route that leads to the auditory nerve.

"Our job is to take all those electronics and package them in something a little over an inch long and about 20 thousands of an inch in diameter, the thickness of five sheets of paper," Friedrich said.

Michigan Tech researchers will also be developing housings for miniature environmental sensors. In this case, "the environment" is anywhere, from the inside of a car to a worksite to the top of a tree. "A worker could have one of these sensors on a wristwatch to determine if there were releases of hazardous chemicals, or a child could wear it and find out if they were near something that would bring on an asthma attack," Friedrich said. Another application could be predicting the weather. Throughout the US, many areas (including the UP) don't have enough weather stations to gather relevant data, and forecasts suffer as a result. Microsensors the size of a sugar cube could be left almost anywhere and relay information on barometric pressure, temperature, etc. to atmospheric scientists.

The problem for MTU researchers will be to develop housings that can be used for more than one type of sensor. Plus, they'll have to protect the sensitive microelectronics inside while exposing the sensor to potentially harsh environments. "There are a lot of challenges," Friedrich said. "That's why this is a ten-year project."

Lastly, the center will be involved in math and science education at the high school, community college, and university level, developing course materials, experiments, and internship experiences. Plus, the three partner universities plan to offer the nation's first Master of Engineering degree in Integrated Microsystems, available both on campus and through distance education. "NSF is very excited about that program," Friedrich said. "The center faculty at each school would be adjunct faculty at the other universities, and students could take approved classes at the two other schools and get full credit toward a degree where they are enrolled. All the participants are very enthusiastic."

The NSF funded only two such Engineering Research Centers this funding cycle from among the ninety proposals, said Dean of Engineering Robert Warrington, the associate director of ERC/WIMS. "It gives us a really strong base on which to grow our microtechnology program, and it should also complement our biotechnology and information technology areas," he said. Over the length of the program, Michigan Tech should receive about $5 million to $10 million and involve most of the engineering departments, as well as a number of researchers throughout the College of Sciences and Arts.

Other MTU investigators currently involved in the center are Assistant Professor Sheila Grant, Assistant Professor Orhan Soykan (Biomedical Engineering), Professor Mike Roggemann, Associate Professor Anand Kulkarni, and Assistant Professor Paul Bergstrom (Electrical and Computer Engineering).