The invention concerns a Thickness Shear Mode (TSM) biosensor (1) which comprises an ex vivo living skin explant (2), the skin explant (2) comprising at least one of the skin layers among: hypodermis, dermis (2A), epidermis (2B) and the stratum corneum (2C), a TSM transducer (3) which comprises: an AT cut quartz resonator 3C which has two opposite exterior surfaces (3A,3B), and two conducting electrodes (4A, 4B), each conducting electrode being deposited on one of the two exterior surfaces (3A,3B), the TSM transducer (3) allowing to determine micro rheological characteristics of the living skin explant (2) by piezoelectric transducing using shear waves, the TSM transducer (3) presenting: measuring means (30), monitoring and calculating means (31) which monitor an evolution in time of an electrical response of the living skin explant (2), and which calculate in time, from the electrical response, micro rheological characteristics of the living skin explant (2), a bottom surface of the skin explant (2) being in contact with the TSM transducer (3), a top surface of the skin explant (2) being in contact with air.

Methods and devices are disclosed for testing an acoustic probe having transducing elements for converting between acoustic and electrical signals. An electrical signal is generated at a frequency with a testing device capable of generating electrical signals over a range of frequencies. The electrical signal is transmitted to at least some of the transducing elements to measure a complex impedance and thereby evaluate a performance of the transducing elements.

Embodiments of an ultrasonic button and methods for using the ultrasonic button are disclosed. In one embodiment, an ultrasonic button may include an ultrasonic transmitter configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave, a piezoelectric receiver layer configured to receive a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave, a platen layer configured to protect the ultrasonic transmitter and the piezoelectric receiver layer, a first matching layer configured to match an acoustic impedance of the platen layer with an acoustic impedance of ridges of a finger, and an ultrasonic sensor array configured to detect the finger using the reflected wave.

An apparatus may include a platen, an electromagnetic interference (EMI)-reducing system including a first EMI-reducing layer, a light source system and a receiver system. The light source system may include a light-emitting component, light source system circuitry and a light guide system and may be configured to emit light through the first EMI-reducing layer to a first platen area via a light pipe between the first EMI-reducing layer and the platen. The light guide system may include a light-directing element for directing light from the first EMI-reducing layer to the light pipe. The receiver system may be configured to detect acoustic waves corresponding to a photoacoustic response of a target object in contact with the first platen area to light emitted by the light source system. The first EMI-reducing layer may reduce a level of EMI emitted by the light source system circuitry that is received by receiver system circuitry.

A multimode ultrasonic probe tip and transducer integrated into a micro tool, such as a nano indenter or a nano indenter interfaced with a Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) is described. The tip component may be utilized to determine mechanical properties or characteristics of a sample, including for example, complex elastic modulus, hardness, friction coefficient, and strain and stress at nanometer scales and high frequencies. The tip component is configured to operate at multi-resonant frequencies providing sub-nanometer vertical resolution. The tip component may be quasi-statistically calibrated and contact mechanics constitutive equations may be utilized to derive mechanical properties of a sample. Contact mechanical impedance and acoustic impedance may also be compared.

Downhole tools for measuring properties of a fluid include a sample chamber configured to receive the fluid, a field responsive material (FRM) arranged with an interface between the field responsive material and the fluid under test in the sample chamber. The field responsive material is tunable to change an acoustic impedance of the field responsive material in response to application of an applied field. A field generator is arranged in relation to the field responsive material, the field generator configured to generate and apply a field to the field responsive material. An acoustic transducer is arranged to direct acoustic energy into and through the field responsive material toward the interface between the field responsive material and the fluid and configured to detect reflections of acoustic energy that reflect from the interface.

The invention provides a chemical detection system for detecting at least one target chemical species, including a self-sensed cantilevered probe array having a plurality of self-sensed cantilevered probes, at least one chemical-sensitive coating material applied to at least one cantilevered probe in the cantilevered probe array, and an interface circuit that is coupled to the cantilevered probe array. At least one cantilevered probe in the cantilevered probe array exhibits a shifted cantilevered probe response when the cantilevered probe array is exposed to the target chemical species and the interface circuit actuates the cantilevered probe. A handheld chemical detection system and a method of operation are also disclosed.

Methods and devices are disclosed for testing an acoustic probe having transducing elements for converting between acoustic and electrical signals. An electrical signal is generated at a frequency with a testing device capable of generating electrical signals over a range of frequencies. The electrical signal is transmitted to at least some of the transducing elements to measure a complex impedance and thereby evaluate a performance of the transducing elements.

Methods and devices are disclosed for testing an acoustic probe having transducing elements for converting between acoustic and electrical signals. An electrical signal is generated at a frequency with a testing device capable of generating electrical signals over a range of frequencies. The electrical signal is transmitted to at least some of the transducing elements to measure a complex impedance and thereby evaluate a performance of the transducing elements.

An ultrasonic measuring device includes an ultrasonic transducer device, and a processing device that performs processing based on a reception signal from the ultrasonic transducer device. The processing device includes a data acquisition unit that, based on the reception signal, acquires 1st to K-th (K being an integer greater than or equal to 2) A-mode waveform data groups that correspond to cases where the direction of the scanning plane relative to a measurement location surface is 1st to K-th directions; a selection unit that selects a measurement result A-mode waveform data piece based on the 1st to K-th A-mode waveform data groups; and a notification control unit that generates notification data based on the at least one of the measurement result A-mode waveform data piece and a measurement result A-mode waveform data group that corresponds to the measurement result A-mode waveform data piece, and outputs the generated notification data.