ECE Colloquium with Jan Rabaey

Ultra-Low Power Platforms for Human AdvancementJan M. RabaeyDonald O. Pederson Distinguished ProfessorUniversity of California at BerkeleyRefreshments will be served outside Room 339 at 10:45 a.m.Faculty Host: Douglas DensmoreAbstract: Enabled by pervasive wireless networking and ultra-low power technologies, so-called nanomorphic systems are now moving into the domain of the feasible. Sub-mm integrated wireless sensor nodes make it possible to directly observe and interact with biological cells in-vivo, opening the door for a broad range of applications in the domains of healthcare and well being. One application of particular interest is the domain of brain-machine interfaces, where sensor nodes directly observe neural activity in the brain and use this information to restore function for people with severe neural disabilities such as stroke, spinal cord injury, ALS, epilepsy, etc.In this presentation, we will explore some of the ultimate bounds in miniaturization and energy reduction. We will focus on the realization of so called “neural swarms” – networks that exist in and around the human body to provide user-machine interfaces that are far more advanced than what we have today. The progress will be documented with results from our research group in the Berkeley Wireless Research Center, focusing on the realization of complete brain-machine interfaces.About the Speaker: Jan Rabaey received his Ph.D degree in applied sciences from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. In 1987, he joined the faculty of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department of the University of California, Berkeley, where he now holds the Donald O. Pederson Distinguished Professorship. He is currently the scientific co-director of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center (BWRC), as well as the director of the Berkeley Ubiquitous SwarmLab. He is the recipient of a wide range of major awards. He is an IEEE Fellow and a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences and Arts of Belgium. His research interests include the conception and implementation of next-generation integrated wireless systems.

When 11:00 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Location Photonics Center, 8 Saint Mary’s St., Room 339