The Sensor System Technologies lab (SST) is a laboratory jointly run by the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Sensing Technologies Lab) and Eurac Research (Center for Sensing Solutions). This is where technologies are developed, devices and sensors are manufactured and integrated solutions for the acquisition of monitoring data are developed. In particular, the SST offers services in the following areas: the development and characterisation of devices based on printing technologies and microfabrication technologies (sensors, actuators, batteries, energy collectors, conditioning electronics), the integration of these electronic components into integrated solutions, as well as the development of applications for accessing, analysing and exchanging data. In this way, the SST is able to offer to a wide range of users (researchers, public administrations, companies) solutions and analysis tools for various fields of application, such as environmental monitoring, the Internet of Things (IoT) or precision agriculture. 

Research lines and services:

Research line 1: Material and device platform

• Grouping, functionalisation and characterisation of materials
• Development, production and characterisation of sensors
• Characterisation of sensors in the field
• Development, production and characterisation of batteries and energy harvesters
• Development, production and characterisation of signal conditionings for sensors

Research line 2: System platform

• Development and characterisation of conditioning, communication and energy management circuits, based both on commercial as well as in-house technologies
• Development and characterisation of prototype integrated systems (sensors, actuators, energy harvesters, conditioning, communication and energy management circuits) for applications in the fields of environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, the Internet of Things (IoT) and food science
• Multi-scale and multi-platform data capture and integration
• Development, characterisation and validation of prototypes
• Production of IoT prototypes

Research line 3: Data platform

• Data services: organisation, access, processing and sharing
• Data analysis and quality control
• Development of databases with spatial and temporal data
• Implementation and engineering of algorithms
• Software development: applications with web tools for displaying and sharing data
• Development of RESTful APIs and web services compliant with OGC standards
• Development of decision support systems
• Cloud computing and data processing for monitoring applications

Key machines/instruments:

• Combined system for the chemical vapour deposition of carbon and graphene nanotubes and for the atomic layer deposition of aluminium oxides and titanium deposition
• Glovebox equipped with thermal and electron beam vaporiser for metal and insulation deposition
• Clean room for optical photolithography
• Chemical benches with microbalance, ultrasound scanner, centrifuge and ultrasonic bath
• Atomic force microscope
• Light microscope
• Optical set-up for transmission and quantum efficiency measurements
• Probe station with parameter and network analyser
• Oscilloscopes, source meters and power generators
• Sensor and transducer equipment for environmental measurements
• Cosmic ray neutron probe
• Instrumentation for data acquisition, verification and validation
• Data acquisition platforms (UAV, station for receiving satellite data)
• Instrumentation: high precision GNSS, spectroradiometer, leaf area index measurements, RGB chambers, thermal chamber
• Data integration (multi-sensor)
• Sensor network system and connectivity services

The unibz Sensing Technologies Lab in particular develops new types of sensors using nanotechnology to reduce the size of sensors.

• Flexible bio-nano sensors (printed)
• Energy harvesting and storage

The Eurac Center for Sensing Solutions specialised in the management of the complete DATA LIFE CYCLE, offers customised technological solutions in two main areas: monitoring technologies (instrumentation) and the development of web applications and services for data analysis and information exchange:

• Sensing technologies
• Data infrastructure and service
   

Contacts

• Luisa Petti, luisa.petti@unibz.it
• Roberto Monsorno, roberto.monsorno@eurac.edu