This material is based upon work supported by NSF through

Grants No. NSF-ECCS 1139773 and The Kinesis Foundation.

[1]R. Cabrera, E. Merced, and N. Sepúlveda, “A micro-electro-

mechanical memory based on the structural phase transition of

VO 2,” Phys. Status Solidi, vol. 1711, 2013.

[2] D. L. Hu, M. Prakash, B. Chan, and J. W. M. Bush, “Water-

walking devices,” Exp. Fluids, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 769–778,

2007.

[3] I. Lita, D. a. Visan, and I. B. Cioc, “LabVIEW application for

movement detection using image acquisition and processing,”

Des. Technol. Electron. Packag. (SIITME), 2010 IEEE 16th Int.

Symp., pp. 225–228, 2010.

OPTICAL TRACKING OF VO2-BASED MICRO-ACTUATOR USING ARDUINO AND LABVIEW

SOFTWARE Nelson Sepúlveda Ramos 1, Tongyu Wang 2, and Nelson Sepúlveda 2

1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR, 006802Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48223

Setup the Camera

Tracking and Detection of

Objects

Creation of Commands

Program Arduino through

LabVIEW

Process Image

Raw Image Processed Image

Object Detected Tracked Object

INTRODUCTION METHODOLOGY(Cont.) RESULTS and CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

METHODOLOGY

1

2

Benefits of using VO2 for

water walking device :

Locomotion via photo-

thermal

Untethered connection

Actuator is a device that

converts energy into motion

Previous Water Walking devices

Locomotion uses an elastic

pulley

Tethered connection

Vanadium Dioxide(VO2)[1]

Live Setup

1. Processing of Image:

Thresholding

Coverts image from

different greys levels to

black and white

2. Select the Object for

Tracking

3. Calculate Position

Using Centroid, provides

(x,y) coordinates

4. Actual position to

Reference

Determine if the object

has moved

5. Classify Direction

Determines if the

movement of the object

was left or right

Additional information*

Steps of tracking program

I

Initialize Camera

Initialize Arduino

Acquire Continuous

Images

Calculate Position of

Object*

Processing of the

Image*

Make a Template of

the Object*

Start Program

Classify Direction*

Send Information to

Arduino

Follow Object with

Motor

Stop Program

Compare Position to

Reference*

[2]

Figure 1 Represent the procedure to taken for the project Figure 4 Represent the steps for the tracking programFigure 3 Represent the experimental setup for the laser tracking device

1

2

Figure 2 Represent the live setup for the laser tracking device

Figure 5 Represent the experimental results of a “white board” marker being tracked

Develop a wireless tracking system to monitor and control

the movement of untethered VO2-based water walking

arthropod devices.

OBJECTIVE Tracking of an object in real time to get the exact position

were successfully determined using centroid function results

shown in Fig. 5.

This was performed to have the necessary information to

determine where the device has moved.

Controlling the motor using Arduino and LabVIEW to track and

follow the movement of an object was performed.(Fig.2)

This was done to produce locomotion of the device.

Assembly Laser Tracking Device

Micro-

Actuator

Laser

Arduino

Stepper

Driver

Motor

Camera

Computer

Feedback

Fully reversible solid to

solid phase transition.

Electrical, mechanical,

and optical properties

change abruptly as a

function of temperature.