Assist Center

The Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) is a National Science Foundation sponsored Nanosystems Engineering Research Center (NERC). ASSIST develops and employs nanotechnology enabled energy harvesting and storage, ultra-low power electronics, and sensors to create innovative, battery-free, body-powered, and wearable health monitoring systems. This Center received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2012 for five years of research, renewable out to 2022. ASSIST is enabling a paradigm shift in health informatics by creating wearable nanotechnologies that monitor individual health parameters and environmental exposures. Long-term, scientifically accurate sensing enables patients, doctors, and scientists to make direct correlations between health parameters and environmental exposures. This information leads to improved chronic disease prediction, management, and treatment. ASSIST advances accelerate environmental health research and clinical trials as well as inform environmental policy. Our mission is to develop leading-edge systems for high-value applications such as healthcare and IoT by integrating fundamental advances in energy harvesting, low-power electronics, and sensors with a focus on usability and actionable data. We do this by bringing together multidisciplinary researchers, practitioners, and industry partners in a diverse and inclusive ecosystem that encourages innovation with a focus on education and outreach. Learn more about our Center: https://assistcenter.org/