MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & MATERIALS SCIENCE
William W. Clark, PhD
636 Benedum Hall | 3700 O’Hara Street | Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Professor
P: 412-624-9794 wclark@pitt.edu www.engineering.pitt.edu/MEMS/
The Clark Lab’s research focus is in the field of dynamic systems and controls. Current research focuses on cyber-physical
systems with specific emphasis on mechatronic systems and measurements.
Cyber-Physical Systems Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are playing an increasingly significant role in everyday life. There are expected to be 34 billion internet-connected devices by the year 2020, not to mention the many stand-alone autonomous devices. Medical devices, self-driving cars, industrial process control systems, traffic control systems, agricultural systems, etc. are examples of CPS that integrate physical systems with sensors, actuators, and embedded computers. The Clark lab is currently working on a variety of cyber-physical systems across fields including medical, rehabilitation, and agriculture. Example research problems include an embedded control system for a hybrid prosthetic exoskeleton (with the Sharma research group) that enables development and testing of advanced control algorithms; development of
smart urban agriculture systems; modular control hardware and algorithm for a novel chemical computing system (with the Meyer and Garrett-Roe groups in Chemistry); and a variety of novel sensing systems for medical applications.
Medical Mechatronic Devices A growing body of research in the Clark lab has focused on development of medical devices that are at their core mechatronic systems. For example, there is an unmet clinical need for nurses and medical staff to be able to accurately and successfully place an IV catheter on a first try in patients with difficult veins such as diabetics, the elderly and infants. We are working with
the Dezfulian research group to develop a system to use sensor-based feedback to quickly, accurately, and easily place an IV, thus maximizing successful placement on the first attempt. Another example is the development of a retrievable perfusion stent. Hemorrhage of the torso is a leading preventable cause of death of soldiers on the battlefield. In collaboration with the
Tillman, Cho, and Chun research groups we are developing a retrievable stent that enables hemorrhage control while still allowing branch perfusion. The device is to be deployable by field medics and will allow for rapid removal, accurate device positioning and measurement of patient vitals.
Inertial Measurement of Human Motions The science of human performance continues to see increasing interest for applications such as physical therapy and sports. Our lab is studying the use of wearable inertial sensors (e.g. accelerometers and rate gyros) and advanced data analysis techniques for human motion applications. In one study we are investigating the use of inertial measurements for stroke rehabilitation. The system evaluates stroke severity through motion patterns using supervised machine learning algorithms, and suggests rehab tasks that are appropriate for the specific patient in his or her recovery process. In another study, inertial sensors are used to monitor lifting tasks in nurses in an effort to correlate measurable motion features with risky techniques.
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DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS SCIENCE
