Photofluidics for integrating fiber sensors with high-authority mechanical actuators

摘要

We propose a marriage between fiber sensor technology and the burgeoning research in the area of photofluidic interfaces. We consider the case of a smart structure that requires a control mechanism to dampen out vibrations. Fiber optic sensors attached to (or, embedded in) the structure faithfully replicate the structural vibrational shapes and modes, and the output optical signal is fed into an active fiber (optical) amplifier which raises the level of the signal amplitude. Preliminary results from a practical implementation are discussed and future issues are addressed.