Making the stimulator
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is one of the two Federal Institutes of Technology in Switzerland. With more than 350 laboratories and research groups on its campus, EPFL is one of the most innovative and scientifically productive institutions in the world. LMIS1 is devoted to micro/nanosystems (MEMS/NEMS) and to the development of new fabrication techniques for highly miniaturized integrated devices and systems. The group is mostly active in rapid prototyping of micro and nanostructures by novel patterning methods (e.g. stencilling, thermal scanning probe lithography, and inkjet printing) as well as self-assembly. One further focus of its research is on the micro and nanostructuring of novel, functional materials, such as polymer and bio-materials. Finally, LMIS1 is also interested in the development of scalable micro/nanomanufacturing
The EPFL team
Arnaud Bertsch is a scientist at EPFL. He is involved in three main scientific and technical domains: i) The development of photopolymers and nano-composites for microfabrication, based on acrylates, epoxy based resins as well as polyimide and SU-8. ii) The development of microelectromechanical systems for medicine, such as a wireless glaucoma sensor embedded into a soft contact lens, improved deep-brain stimulation electrodes, or a sensor system embedded into a knee prosthesis. iii) Micro and nanofluidics, such as static micromixers, microfluidic self-oscillating impinging jets, and a variety of nanofluidic devices either based on nanoslits or on nanoporous membrane geometries. He is a pioneer in 3D printing techniques.
Clémentine Lipp is a post-doctoral fellow at EPFL.
She has a background in microtechnologies and microfluidics for the manipulation of single cells. Clémentine is developing the stimulator and its associated electronics and is working in close collaboration with the CNRS team to adapt the stimulator to patients.