University of Toronto, Canada

Dr. R. Ben Mrad, P.Eng., FCSME, is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto. He joined the University of Toronto in 1997, having previously held research positions at the National Research Council of Canada in Vancouver, BC, and the Ford Research Laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan. Professor Ben Mrad received a PHD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1994. Professor Ben Mrad's research interests are Mechatronics and Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) with a special focus on the design of precision actuators, microactuators and microfluidic systems, MEMS fabrication, and development of smart materials based devices. His research led to a number of patents and inventions including 9 US patents/patent applications. Currently his research group is pursuing in collaboration with industrial partners the development of novel precision and micro actuators for micromirror display applications, large stroke piezo actuators for direct actuation in diesel engine injectors, high power density energy harvesting using smart materials for self-powered sensors, and digital microfluidic chips for applications in genomics and proteomics. Professor Ben Mrad is the author/coauthor of more than 150 refereed research publications in the top journals and conferences in his field. He has supervised the research of over 55 graduate students and researchers, and received the Faculty Early Career Teaching Award in 2002. Professor Ben Mrad serves on the NSERC Mechanical Engineering Grants Committee (2008-2011), the IEEE Industrial Electronics Committee on MEMS and Nanotechnology, and the Executive Board of the CanSmart Group. He is currently a Technical Editor of the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, Editor of IE Tech News, and serves on the Steering Committee of the IEEE/ASME JMEMS. He was also a Guest Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. Professor Ben Mrad also served as a founding Director of the Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics at the University of Toronto (2009-2011).

Title of Speech:  High Performance Microelectrostatic Out-of-Plane Actuators for Adaptive Optics and Display Applications

Abstract:  Out-of-plane micro actuators can be used in many applications such as adaptive optics, spatial light modulation, positioning micro lenses for auto focusing/zooming, micromanipulators and vector display. These applications require the manipulation of masses with milligram size and generation of out-of-plane displacement ranging from few to hundreds of micrometers. This is difficult to achieve at the microscale. The talk will be presenting novel micro electrostatic actuators platforms that provide out-of-plane motion leading to a stroke that is orders of magnitude higher than standard micro electrostatic actuators and generating large forces. Different implementations of these micro-actuators are shown and their use for developing a number of applications including 3D micromirrors for vector display and automotive head up display, and autofocus and optical Image stabilization in phone cameras.