Droplets – with Professor in Digital Microfluidics Loïc Coudron and Sam Jury
Using Electrowetting-Produced Audible and Near-Ultrasonic Waves for Water Sample Composition Analysis
From a scientific and engineering perspective, this project opens new avenues to develop novel, non-destructive characterisation techniques employing audible or near-ultrasonic waves. The sonic waves, interacting with discrete volumes of fluid, can produce signature spectra that can be correlated with the fluid composition. Unlike traditional sonic-based characterisation methods, where the audio source is external to the object under test, the liquid will be the emitter by electrically induced oscillation.
Whilst ultrasound characterisation is well known for defect diagnostics, the proposed method, using the object under test as the direct source of vibration, is wholly untested.
The collaboration between Godman and Coudron began as a result of a ‘call for collaborators’ by the UH ArtSci Lab across the University of Hertfordshire. An interest in recording the invisible/inaudible was a challenge that couldn’t be resisted. Recording sounds, inaudible to an average listener, presents unique technical challenges. Not only are the sounds themselves extraordinarily quiet, requiring an anechoic chamber for recording purposes, they also occur within the confines of microscopic scientific equipment. Whilst the audio analysis produces meaningful scientific data, exploring other ways to use it in the future is a significant area of our research.
