M. K. Ramasubramanian, PI, J. F. Tu, Co-PI Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27655 rammk@ncsu.edu, jftu@untiy.ncsu.edu
The primary objective of this research is to study the mechanics of blood sucking by a mosquito, material and structural characterization of the parts of mosquito anatomy used needed in accomplishing the task, and translate the understanding into engineering specifications for a synthetic mosquito or a swarm of mosquitoes made up of several synthetic mosquitoes operating in parallel, for painless drawing of blood from a live host, including humans. The second objective is to explore novel material systems and manufacturing processes for the mass production of synthetic fascicle and proboscis. Both analytical and experimental approaches will be used to understand the fundamentals of blood sucking by a mosquito, structural behavior of the fascicle, and the manufacture of a synthetic fascicle. The research offers an excellent opportunity to integrate many different fields of science, such as biomaterials, micro-scale mechanics, MEMS, nano-manufacturing, and biology through an inter-disciplinary team. Success of this research will mean that the monitoring of blood constituents on a regular and frequent basis for diseases like diabetes in adults, children, and babies will be painless for millions of people around the world. New courses in bio-mimetic devices design, and nano-manufacturing will be developed for educating future engineers.
