May 14
@
12:00 PM
–
1:00 PM
Soft Electronics & Systems for Sensing, Perception, and Feedback
Abstract: Wearable technologies can support health span only when they are comfortable, motion-robust, and able to convert raw signals into actionable, intuitive information. My research focuses on materials-device-system co-design of soft electronic systems that integrate three core functions, sensing, perception, and feedback, across healthcare and embodied interaction applications.
In this talk, I will first introduce wearable systems for women’s health, including maternal monitoring of cardiac and uterine contraction biopotentials in clinical settings for early risk detection of preterm birth. This platform leverages soft polymeric electrodes and textile-integrated interfaces designed for stable and wireless electrophysiological recording. Second, I will present garment-integrated electrophysiology platforms for ambulatory biopotential monitoring in daily life, including electrocardiography (ECG) and skeletal muscle electromyography (EMG) during strenuous activities such as exercise and water sports, with an emphasis on maintaining signal fidelity under body motion. Third, I will describe embodied tactile interfaces that enable robust touch and gesture recognition under deformation, combining pressure mapping with personalized recognition for intelligent human-computer interaction. Fourth, I will discuss semiconductor material processing and advanced manufacturing approaches for intrinsically soft optoelectronic devices, including stretchable light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that provide low-burden, glanceable visual feedback on wearables and everyday objects. Finally, I will discuss future advances in intelligent wearables for personalized women’s
healthcare and safe human-robot interaction.
Junyi Zhao
Bio: Dr. Junyi Zhao is a Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University, where he works with Professor Zhenan Bao to develop intelligent wearable electronics and medical robotics. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, where he specialized in wearable biomedical electronics for women’s health, as well as soft optoelectronic devices for light emission and photodetection. Previously, he was a Research Scientist Intern at Meta Reality Labs (formerly Facebook), where he developed wearable tactile perception interfaces for immersive AR/VR and embodied human–computer interaction.
Dr. Zhao has authored over 20 publications, including first-authored papers in Nature Photonics and Advanced Materials, as well as papers in top-tier human–computer interaction venues such as ACM UIST. He has received multiple awards and recognitions, including WiscProf: Future Faculty in Engineering, CAS Future Leaders, the MRS Graduate Student Gold Award, PMSE Future Faculty, the ACS Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Award, and the Nano Research Energy Young Star Researcher Gold Award.