Citation

Sim JH, Puria S. IEEE Sens. J. 2009; 9(12): 1924-1932.

Affiliation

Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers))

DOI

10.1109/JSEN.2009.2030879

PMID

20234800

PMCID

PMC2838498

Abstract

The inability to identify 3-D force and moment components for actuators and sensors is a major limiting factor in the study of 3-D force interactions with small-scale biological structures. While recent advances have been made in the measurement of stimulating forces using load cells and atomic-force microscopy in experimental preparations of biological structures such as mammalian temporal bones, these techniques have mostly been limited to one or two dimensions. In this paper, a method is described for stimulating biological structures using a small magnet (2 mg Sm(2)Co(17)) and a nearby current-conducting coil (46 gauge, 50 turns), that allows the 3-D Lorentz forces and moments acting on the magnet to be calculated. To make these calculations possible, the dimensions and placements of the magnet and coil are accurately determined (within 10 mum for in vitro preparations) using high-resolution micro-CT imaging. This noncontact force motor method has been used to study the mechanics of the malleus-incus complex in the mammalian middle ear in addition to basilar membrane mechanics and fluid flow inside the cochlea, and it can also be applied to the study of other biomechanical structures.

Language: en