Presentation 66,67

Presentation 66

Mechanical Amplification In a Micromechanical Nonlinear Resonator
R・Almog,S・Zaitsev O, Shtempluck and E・Buks
Department of Electrical Engineering Technion

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Micro/Nanoelectromechanical resonators play a key role in microdevices for applications such as sensing, switching, and filtering. The relatively small force needed for driving a microresonator into the nonlinear regime is usually easily accessible, enabling thus a variety of useful applications such as frequency mixing and frequency synchronization. Since nano-scale displacement detection is highly challenging, it is desirable to implement an on-chip mechanical amplification mechanism.


In this research we demonstrate mechanical amplification using a bifurcating dynamical system. We employ nonlinear frequency mixing near the onset of Duffing bistability to amplify small displacement signals. Our device consists of a PdAu beam serving as a micromechanical resonator, excited by an adjacent gate electrode. A large pump signal drives the resonator near the onset of bistability, enabling amplification of small signals in a narrow bandwidth.


To first order, the amplification is inversely proportional to the frequency difference between the pump and the signal. We demonstrate experimentally high signal gain in this regime. This method of amplification may allow enhancing the sensitivity of sensors based on microresonators.

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Presentation 67

The Argaman Virtual Reality Software
Ehud Dayan

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The Argaman Virtual Reality Software Suite is an innovative, unique solution providing an immersive virtual reality therapeutic system for PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) treatment of people who witnessed or suffered terror attacks or other traumatic experiences. The flexible design of the tool enables custom reconstruction of the scenery as WOll as specific events for each patient. The complete treatment system projects the therapist into the virtual scene, thus highly improving the overall impact of the treatment.


The system editor rapidly simulates in 3D the audio-visual environment where the trauma occurred and provides life-like avatars that mimic people in that vicinity. When using the system, the patient can gradually process the experience with the help of a professional therapist, construct new memories of alternative scenarios, and deal with previously suppressed emotions and cognitions.


A central and unique feature of the system is its ability to insert, in real-time, the therapist or other players into the virtual scene, by digitally processing a live video stream according to the blue-screen technique. This process ensures that the concept of personal care in therapy is extended into the virtual world.


The Sonarion-Hadassah Academic Virtual Reality Center is a joint venture between Sonarion LTD and the Hadassah ACademic College in Jerusalem. The center researches and develops emerging technologies and applications in different areas of virtual reality, machine vision, and robotics. The center contracts advanced research and development projects, and engages in these projects students and graduates of the Hadassah Academic College, together with top scientists.

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