New Lab Expands Healthcare Access Through Novel Sensing Prototypes

A new lab is working to expand access to practical sensing systems. These systems could benefit people struggling with addiction and alert people with limited healthcare access to potentially life-threatening medical issues.

Device prototypes like these usually require massive amounts of time and external resources to build, but thanks to the Uncommon Sense Lab, they can now be conveniently developed on Georgia Tech’s campus.

The lab is housed in Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing and is managed by Assistant Professor Alexander Adams.

“Our overall goal is to give better access to healthcare,” Adams said. “We’re always looking at who we’re doing this for, how we’re getting it to them, how it addresses specific needs, and how to make it as financially accessible as possible.

“There’s always a space for high-end, high-precision equipment, but not everyone has access, and people are often afraid to get checked out because of the cost. If we can build something that doesn’t necessarily give someone a perfect measurement of a condition, but it can tell them they should go to the doctor, that might be enough to save a life.”

The lab provides resources to interdisciplinary researchers with backgrounds in computing, robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and biomedical engineering to develop novel sensing and feedback system prototypes.

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“We render physical prototypes that would be difficult to build without a centralized location for these resources,” said Adams, who is affiliated with the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines and the Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. “We give students access to the tools and knowledge to build things that would typically seem unreachable.

“There’s nowhere else on campus with this collective that can go end-to-end from mechanical engineering to biomedical engineering to electrical engineering to usability.”

Examples of current prototypes being developed in the lab include a device that trains people with post-traumatic stress disorder to breathe in more regular patterns, and another that measures a person’s heart rate when they vape.

“We want to learn more about that behavior through these sensing devices, and then we’ll look at figuring out how we can help people correct their breathing patterns or quit their addiction,” Adams said.

The Uncommon Sense Lab offers numerous high-tech, state-of-the-art machinery, including:

• 3D printers, including fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers for multi-material, high-precision prints
• A laser cutter for producing printed circuit boards (PCBs)
• Surface mount PCB manufacturing station with soldering tools, paste dispensers, and rework stations
• Optical work benches for optical system design, including microscopes and fluidics workstation
• Resin materials for casting and molding prosthetics
• Vacuum chambers and pressure chambers
• Saws, mills, lathes, and other mechanical tools for processing wood and soft metals
• Saws, grinders, polishers, and other wet tools for glass, stone, and ceramics

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Since he started at the School of Interactive Computing in 2022, Adams has envisioned the lab. The lab space in the Technology Square Research Building in Midtown was thoroughly renovated, including access control, a new ceiling grid, environmental controls, pressurized air, plumbing, and vacuum and air filtration systems.

“This is the result of having built two labs at previous institutions, what I’ve learned about my type of work and my field, and what the most useful things are to handle our diverse projects,” he said.

“One of the reasons I came to Georgia Tech was because they saw the value of being interdisciplinary in a computing world and having a full lab space instead of just an office.” 

Adams said the lab will accelerate the timelines of current projects for the researchers who use it and create more bandwidth for them to take on more projects.

“I want my students to have everything at hand instead of waiting every time we need to do something,” he said. “This space is for someone who might have an idea for a remote diagnostic tool, but they’re wondering how to build it, add computation, and test it. This is the solution for those wondering how they can do that without spending a year finding and organizing access to facilities or ordering various parts.”

Adams said the lab is not a public space, but anyone interested in using it can make a written request for access. The work must be part of a collaboration, and faculty must provide funds to use resources. Access is contingent upon passing several safety courses and in-person training.