Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) are advanced engineering systems with functional dimensions or details in the micrometric range that benefit from operating at the micro-scale, which promotes the speed of chemical reactions, enables fast and precise interactions at cellular and even molecular levels, minimizes energy and materials consumption, helps with mass-production and high throughput testing procedures and boosts overall sustainability. Initially obtained by applying technologies from the electronic industry, now we can manufacture MEMS and bio-MEMS using a wide set of metals, alloys, ceramics, composites and polymers and this versatility promotes industrial applications in fields including: health, energy, transport, aerospace, robotics and architecture. In the medical field, these MEMS usually involve micro-fluidic operation and are linked to specific areas of research including point-of-care testing, labs-on-chips and organs-on-chips. Our experience and technologies help to follow steady development processes and to rapidly reach mass-production after initial conceptual trials. In this area we devote ourselves to the following research, development, innovation and translation tasks:
- Simulation of microsystems based on smart/multifunctional materials.
- Design, modelling and manufacture of microsensors and microactuators.
- Design, modelling and manufacture of microfluidic systems.
- Design, modelling and manufacture of microdevices for diagnosis and therapy.
- Design, modelling and manufacture of biomedical microsystems for point-of-care testing.
- Design, modelling and manufacture of labs-on-chips and organs-on-chips.
- Functional trials for validation and optimization towards mass-production.
In collaboration with Prof. Josefa Predestinación García-Ruíz, UAM.