A sensor includes: an electrostatic-capacity-type sensor electrode layer having a plurality of sensing units; a reference electrode layer opposed to one main face of the sensor electrode layer; and a deformable layer disposed between the reference electrode layer and the sensor electrode layer, the deformable layer being to deform elastically due to application of pressure. The deformable layer is recessed between the sensing units or discontinuous between the sensing units. The reference electrode layer has a shaped portion between the sensing units.

A system for performing force sensing with an electromagnetic load may include a signal generator configured to generate a signal for driving an electromagnetic load and a processing subsystem configured to monitor at least one operating parameter of the electromagnetic load and determine a force applied to the electromagnetic load based on a variation of the at least one operating parameter.

Fully-passive sensor systems that receive an input electromagnetic signal and return an output electromagnetic signal are described. The sensor systems can be used to measure pressure in biological or non-biological systems.

A sensor includes: an electrostatic-capacity-type sensor electrode layer having a plurality of sensing units; a reference electrode layer opposed to one main face of the sensor electrode layer; and a deformable layer disposed between the reference electrode layer and the sensor electrode layer, the deformable layer being to deform elastically due to application of pressure. The deformable layer is recessed between the sensing units or discontinuous between the sensing units. The reference electrode layer has a shaped portion between the sensing units.

The present invention concerns a device (101, 102, 103, 104) for measuring force, comprising: a movable member (1); guide means (2) for guiding the movable member along at least one degree of freedom; position measuring means (3) for measuring the position of the movable member; at least one actuator (4) for applying an actuator force (7) to the movable member; a control system (5), arranged to send a control signal to the at least one actuator, the actuator force depending on the control signal, the control system being arranged to modify the control signal according to a measurement of the position of the movable member by the position measuring means; force measuring means (6) arranged to provide, from the control signal sent by the control system to the at least one actuator, a value of a force to be measured (8) being applied to the movable member and separate from the actuator force. The means for guiding the movable member exert no return force on the movable member along the at least one degree of freedom.

A system for performing force sensing with an electromagnetic load may include a signal generator configured to generate a signal for driving an electromagnetic load and a processing subsystem configured to monitor at least one operating parameter of the electromagnetic load and determine a force applied to the electromagnetic load based on a variation of the at least one operating parameter.

Fully-passive sensor systems that receive an input electromagnetic signal and return an output electromagnetic signal are described. The sensor systems can be used to measure pressure in biological or non-biological systems.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a thrust stand and a method of measuring thrust. Embodiments of the invention pertain to a method of calibrating a thrust stand. Embodiments of the subject thrust stand can incorporate a passive eddy current based damper. Specific embodiments of the passive eddy current based damper can function without contact with the balance arm. Further specific embodiments of the passive eddy current based damper can be used in a vacuum. Embodiments can utilize signal analysis techniques to identify and reduce noise. A logarithmic decrement method can be used to calibrate the thrust stand. Force measurements can be made with embodiments of the subject thrust stand for a standard macroscale dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator and/or other thrust producing devices.

A thin film material residual testing structure comprises two groups of structures. The first group of structures comprises an electrostatic driven polysilicon cantilever beam, an asymmetrical cross beam made of thin film material to be tested and having an alignment structure, and a double-end fixed support beam made of the thin film material to be tested. The second group of structures is similar to the structure of the first group with the fixed support beam removed. A residual stress testing method includes separating the loading drive part of force from a residual stress testing structure made of the thin film material to be tested, designing the bending deflection of a control testing structure according to geometrical parameters, extracting the force applied on the residual stress testing structure and utilizing force and deflection to calculate the residual stress of the thin film material to be tested.

A thin film material residual testing structure comprises two groups of structures. The first group of structures comprises an electrostatic driven polysilicon cantilever beam, an asymmetrical cross beam made of thin film material to be tested and having an alignment structure, and a double-end fixed support beam made of the thin film material to be tested. The second group of structures is similar to the structure of the first group with the fixed support beam removed. A residual stress testing method includes separating the loading drive part of force from a residual stress testing structure made of the thin film material to be tested, designing the bending deflection of a control testing structure according to geometrical parameters, extracting the force applied on the residual stress testing structure and utilizing force and deflection to calculate the residual stress of the thin film material to be tested.