The Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) is a National Science Foundation sponsored Nanosystems Engineering Research Center (NERC). ASSIST develops and employs nanotechnology enabled energy harvesting and storage, ultra-low power electronics, and sensors to create innovative, battery-free, body-powered, and wearable health monitoring systems. This Center received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2012 for five years of research, renewable out to 2022.
Our mission is to use nanotechnology to improve global health by enabling a correlation between personal health and personal environment, that empowers individuals and doctors to manage wellness and improve quality of life.
In the video on the right, Dr. Benton Calhoun, Associate Professor of Electrical and Company Engineering and Thrust IV Lead, along with his research group describes the advanced technologies and goals of the Center as a whole.
The goal of the NSF’s Engineering Research Center Program is to create
a culture that links scientific discovery to technological innovation through transformational engineered systems research and education. These centers make advances in technology and produce engineering graduates who will be creative innovators in a global economy.
NSF Nanosystems Engineering Centers are part of the National Nanotechnology Initiative— a government-wide activity designed to ensure that investments are made in a coordinated and timely manner and to accelerate the pace of revolutionary nanotechnology discoveries.