Academics

ESM Distinguished Professor Emeritus receives honorary degree

Vijay K. Varadan, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, was recently conferred an honorary doctor of science degree from Saveetha University for his contributions in medicine, engineering and nanotechnology. Credit: Bill AmesAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Vijay K. Varadan, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, was recently conferred an honorary doctor of science degree from Saveetha University for his contributions in medicine, engineering and nanotechnology.

Varadan is cofounder and CMO/CTO of Nanowear Inc., headquartered in New York City with research, development and manufacturing based out of Innovation Park at Penn State. Nanowear is the leading developer of patented, wireless textile-based nanosensor technology with applications in the cardiac, neurological, diabetic, sleep disorders, sleep apnea and sports medicine/performance diagnostic marketing markets.

The company’s proprietary technology provides medical professionals with accurate, real-time diagnostic data that is captured and transmitted wirelessly through a wearable deployment that is cost-effective and unobtrusive to patients.

At Nanowear, Varadan has concentrated specifically on the design and development of various electronic, acoustic and structural composites, smart materials, structures and devices including sensors, transducers and microelectromechanical systems. Through his work, he has helped develop neurostimulator, wireless microsensors and systems for sensing and controlling diseases such as Parkinson’s, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.

Varadan’s research efforts have also led to the development of an “e-bra” and “e-vest” that can be integrated into garments, such as a woman’s sports bra or a man’s vest, that can monitor ECG, blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory rate, oxygen consumption and neural activity, and transmit the collected data to a smartphone. He is currently developing silicon- and organic-based printable electronics for wireless sensor systems with radio-frequency identification for human gait analysis, sleep disorders and various neurological disorders.

“Our e-bra enables continuous, real-time monitoring to identify any pathophysiological changes,” said Varadan. “It is a platform on which various sensors for cardiac-health monitoring are integrated into the fabric. The garment collects and transmits vital health signals to any desired location in the world.”

Varadan is also professor of neurosurgery at the Penn State College of Medicine and Twenty-first Century Endowed Chair of Nano- and Bio-Technology and Medicine, Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering, Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Arkansas.

Last Updated July 8, 2016

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