Professor’s Fascination with Electronics Leads to Pursuit of Smarter Sensors

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John Volakis

John Volakis has been intrigued by the field of electrical engineering since he was 10 years old.

“Growing up without electricity created a fascination for radio and television, which was further fueled by experiencing engineering marvels like the Apollo space program,” says Volakis, who grew up on a farm in Greece. “When I came to the U.S. at age 18, my dream to become an electrical engineer was reinforced by meeting wonderful faculty who became my mentors.”

Today, Volakis leads the ElectroScience Laboratory, the same lab where he conducted research as a graduate student, and he is the Chope Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Volakis’ research interests have evolved over the years to meet industrial and societal needs; currently the field of sensing and sensors is one of his main focus areas.

“When the cell phone and commercial wireless connectivity became a reality in the ’80s, the field of radio and RF sensing, which we thought was mature, exploded,” says Volakis.

He envisions a day where people can use medical sensors to take charge of their own health care as easily as they use a cell phone today. Medical sensors could be used for a wide variety of medical monitoring, such as detecting and preventing bedsores, a recurring problem that plagues immobile patients, before they actually develop.

“With sensors you can detect which regions of the body have more moisture than others and treat it before the bedsore even appears,” says Volakis.

A medical sensor integrated with nearby wireless technology, such as a laptop computer, would become an even more powerful home monitoring device. This device could be used for many applications, such as tracking the health of elderly patients and enabling them to retain their independence longer.

Combining new sensing technology with wideband and ubiquitous Internet connectivity will provide a quicker and noninvasive means of detecting medical problems from anywhere and transmitting test results directly to point-of-care centers.

“In the next 20 years, we hope remote sensing will create an open market for medical monitoring,” says Volakis.

One step toward the ultimate goal of easy-to-use medical sensors is to integrate communication activities into clothing so that many functions of the human body will be continuously monitored. At first this technology will be used for military applications, Volakis predicts, such as monitoring the health of soldiers, but eventually it will also be used for medical applications. Volakis and his team at the ElectroScience Laboratory have already designed and tested new embroidered electronic textile fibers on polymers that can eventually be used to create wearable antennas.

Volakis says the ElectroScience Laboratory is well-positioned to remain a leader in the field of sensing and to meet the research needs of both the commercial and defense sectors.

“In the past four years, and with the help of Ohio Third Frontier grant funds, we’ve added equipment, hired new faculty and research scientists, created a new endowed chair and are in the process of constructing a new 40,580-square-foot facility,” says Volakis. “These investments indicate our desire to remain leaders in this field.”

Contact:

John Volakis, (614) 292-5846, volakis.1@osu.edu