Neurodegenerative and relative diseases have become the main priority of health authorities in developed and developing countries. In France only, about 860,000 persons suffer from the Alzheimer syndrome with 220,000 new cases reported each year, whereas more than 120,000 persons are affected by the Parkinson disease. However, in its latest report, the « Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) », clearly underlined the lack of efficiency of the current treatments, that are more palliative than therapeutic. This is especially true when diagnosis comes too late, i.e. even at the first signs of memory and/or motricity loss. The HAS also underlined that screening and diagnosis methods for these pathologies have received too few novel scientific investigations over the last decade. NEMRO project is part of the challenge of "Health and Well-Being" in its principal axis "Biomedical Innovation". It deals with the relationship between the neurodegenerative diseases and the olfactory deficiency. Several recent clinical studies (often statistical studies) have demonstrated an existing correlation between the loss of smell and the appearance of these pathologies. The olfactory deficit is a reliable precursor sign of a possible neuronal degeneration. Despite this significant advance in the understanding of neurodegenerative disease and related disorders, few ambitious scientific research to understand the origin, evolution and possible means to reverse these diseases by targeted therapies. The reasons for these studies remained at a clinical stage are many and varied. It is particularly difficult to access the olfactory mucosa located at the termination of the nasal walls with a diameter less than 3 mm. In addition to this is the lack of characterization/visualization techniques of the olfactory cells whose individual size is about a hundred micrometers. NEMRO plans to develop a nasal endoscopy system equipped with a fiber-based OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) imaging system. This nasal endoscope consists of a miniature robotic system (the diameter is less than 2 mm) and flexible. The design of the robot will be based on the use of a hybrid actuation: remote by a specific mechatronic system and an embedded actuation based on the use of electroactive materials (polymers). This system will provide an in-vivo dynamic characterization and non-invasive technique to perform 3D high resolution images (3D optical biopsies). These approaches will allow analyzing, with high accuracy (in 3D), the shape and the texture of the olfactory system, similar to histological studies. In a short term, this system gives a unique and reliable experimental investigation technique to understand/diagnosis of certain neurodegenerative diseases. It will also monitor the evolution, over time, the loss of smell and its effect on neuronal degeneration. Through these medical goals, breaking with current practices in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, NEMRO will be a project with a high scientific potential, which can lead to significant breakthroughs (better understanding of olfaction, early diagnosis, etc.) and open new ways for scientific research (effective therapy). In addition to this, NEMRO provides high-level scientific contributions: intrinsically safe micromechatronics design, OCT-based control schemes, applied mathematical methods for Compressed Sensing. It will also be the same for technological innovations and contributions (miniature and flexible robotic endoscopy with hybrid actuation remote/embedded).

The primary objective of INPhO is the design, fabrication and validation of densely integrated nonlinear phononic circuits for parametric information processing at gigahertz frequencies equipped with an optomechanical interface. To this end, we take advantage of a unique experimental hybrid architecture that combines the high operation frequencies of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) and the nonlinear high-quality factor modes of nanomechanical resonators with one of the arguably most advanced optically active nanosystem, i.e. epitaxial semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). INPhO will thus see through the development of a set of numerical and experimental tools allowing for (i) a thorough investigation of nonlinear mechanical resonators interfaced by SAWs and (ii) for an optimization of their optomechanical coupling to QDs, in view of designing tunable nonlinear phononic circuit elements combined with an integrated optical read-out. These nonlinear, on-chip photonic-phononic interconnects integrating programmable elements will be harnessed to push the boundaries of nanomechanical parametric logic to the gigahertz domain. INPhO will build on careful engineering of nonlinear mechanical modal interactions to implement parametric control schemes and demonstrate BIT-flipping, as a first proof-of-concept single-bit logic gate. The final goal of the project lies in the demonstration of the scalability of the proposed architecture through the design and fabrication of multi-resonator phononic circuits. The devices will encompass coupled and programmable nonlinear phononic elements co-integrated with advanced photonic circuitry for opto-mechanical readout. They will illustrate the perspectives opened by the proposed platform to yield mechanical logic-based devices with radiofrequency-to-optical transduction. The implementation of these optomechanically-interfaced nonlinear integrated phononic circuits builds upon the unique combination of the complementary expertise of the French and German partners at Besançon and Münster. The WWU partner masters and contributes the heterointegration of QD heterostructures onto SAW substrates. The FEMTO-ST partner has long-standing matching expertise in the design and fabrication of advanced, yet passive phononic devices to localize and guide SAWs on highly coupled piezoelectric materials. The unique bundling of complementary technological know-hows in INPhO allows for an unprecedented combination of both outstanding phononic and optomechanical properties on a unified platform which are out-of-reach in a monolithic approach. By developing cutting-edge hybrid integrated phononic circuits and devices, INPhO will pave the way towards new paradigms for electronic-photonic-phononic classical information and communication technologies. The INPhO platform, combining nonlinear phononic circuit elements with one of the best solid-state quantum emitter also open far-reaching prospect in the emerging field of hybrid quantum technologies.

Quartz is the best suited material to produce ultra stable (5 to 10 MHz) or high spectral purity (around 100 MHz) oscillators, both for military and space markets. The most optimised high performance, severe conditions quartz resonator version is the BVA (‘Boitier à Vieillissement Amélioré’: Improved ageing package), which was developed 30 years ago by R. Besson. BVA technology did not perform evolution since then, as, at the same time, electronic continuously moved toward increasing integration and miniaturization. In order to remain a mandatory material, quartz has to follow the same way. This project is focusing on this objective. Conditions are fulfilled now: On one hand, multi applications simulation tools are now ready to fully implement quartz modelization. On the other hand, innovative technological processes, such as micro-machining, multi-layer assembly or wafer-bonding, can be successfully applied to quartz, in order to miniaturize packaged resonators while optimising their performances. In order to satisfy the expected technological breakthrough, it is forecasted in this project to modelize and develop all mandatory processes, which will allow reviewing the above mentioned BVA technology. A significant gain in terms of size and cost (at least an order of magnitude) due to collective processes is expected. This should be achieved without trade-off with ultimate component performances, in terms of ageing, radiations or g- sensitivity and phase noise. In order to address this challenge, TEMEX is associated with FEMTO-ST institute and with GEMMA. This cooperative R&D effort should lead to the mergence of a new quartz resonator generation. As project leader, TEMEX will set up the resonator operational requirements while taking into account a system approach. TEMEX will manage as well demonstrator’s fabrication, including all associated qualification processes. FEMTO-ST will develop the simulation models, together with all necessary new technologies. This will be achieved in close cooperation with TEMEX, in the frame of Common Laboratory developed between the two companies (LPMX). GEMMA, which is a specialist of quartz crystallogenesis, will develop high size high quality materials. High size wafers are now indeed becoming a standard for collective processes (100 mm diameter).

To achieve climate neutrality in transportation sector, the European Clean Hydrogen Partnership agenda 2021-2027 target for PEMFC fuel cell stacks their optimisation for higher performance, durability and reliability. Among solutions, multi-stack fuel cell systems, composed of multiple stacks, offer more redundancy, enhanced durability, and flexible modular architecture compared with a single fuel cell. To manage the system operation, the energy management strategy (EMS) need to allocate the load power demand between the stacks while taking into account the fuel cell lifetimes. A variety EMS based on Prognostic and Health Management (PHM) approaches are being developed to tackle fuel cell durability as well as fuel consumption challenges. However, to date, no EMS for multi-stack fuel cells that consider decisions linked with maintenance aspects have been developed, although these aspects can significantly change the energy management strategy. Thus, considering aspects of reliability and maintenance while developing EMS strategy for multi-stack systems constitutes a more comprehensive setting in which the post-prognosis decision-making stage is opened on a large range of possible decisions and actions, including maintenance, individual fuel cell power allocation, operating control law adaptation. In other words, this project opens the way to prescriptive maintenance of multi-stack systems by developing a strategy for adjusting operating conditions to achieve desired results and, at the same time, providing information on how to delay or replace fuel cell failures. The contributions of this project will be i) scientific, by a better understanding of physical knowledge on the fuel cells through modelling the interactions between operating conditions and deterioration, ii) methodological, by providing approaches of dynamical decision, degradation-aware and prescriptive EMS, iii) technological on multi-stack fuel cells control, sizing and deployment.

Cholesteatoma is a skin growth that occurs in an abnormal location in the middle ear. It is usually due to repeated infection. It was estimated that one new case per 10,000 citizens occurs each year. Over time, cholesteatoma expands in the middle ear, filling in the empty cavity around the ossicles and then eroding the bones themselves (ossicles, mastoid). Cholesteatoma is often infected and results in chronically draining ears. It also results in hearing losses and may even spread through the base of the skull into the brain. Nowadays, the most effective treatment of cholesteatoma is to surgically remove the infected tissues through a minimally invasive procedure. Therefore, there is a real need for a minimally invasive robotic system able to access the epitympanum cavity, with high accuracy and dexterity. This project is part of the Challenge 4 – Life, Health and Well-being of the ANR call. It will focus in a surgical protocol breakthrough for the middle ear diseases through basic research in robotics, microrobotics, differential diagnosis methods, and image-guided interventions, following a cross-disciplinary approach. The objectives of µRoCS are the drastic reduction of recurrence (50% to 10%) and of aggressive wall-down procedures (the most commonly used procedure). Therefore, this project proposes a novel integrated robotic system that will exhaustively and efficiently remove the cholesteatoma, especially in the hardly accessible area located behind the mastoid bone (epitympanic cavity). Ideally, the proposed system will travel through the ear canal, and enter the middle ear by a small incision below the eardrum and/or via a small access tunnel drilled through the mastoid bone. The proposed surgical tool (used to remove the cholesteatoma) will consist of a flexible microrobot (based on a continuum kinematic and less than 2mm in diameter) able to reach any part of the middle ear thanks to a high bending radius of its distal end. The specificity of this novel system is a free channel through which the surgeon can pass either a fiber-based imaging system and a surgical laser. Furthermore, the microrobotic system and the multimodal diagnosis system will be integrated (macro-micro approach) into the otologic robotic system robOtol (marked CE in 2016) for preclinical experimentations. Within µRoCS, we will also develop a multimodal in-situ tissue characterization technique which consists of fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with an optical coherence tomography. It will offer to the physicians the possibility to verify in real-time (during the intervention) if the tissue is keratin, normal or pathological one. The diagnosis system will allow acquiring at each position of the robotic arm, a 1-D signal that can be considered as an optical biopsy. The collected data will be used as inputs to real-time classification models in order to recognize the residual cholesteatoma cells. Eventually, again using the robotic arm, the surgeon control the laser probe at the detected pathological cells for vaporization, thanks to an original image-guided control laws. Finally, through the cited medical goals, breaking with current practices in the cholesteatoma surgery, µRoCS will be a project with a high scientific potential, which can lead to significant breakthroughs (minimally invasive surgery of the cholesteatoma removal, zero risk of recurrence and reoperation). In addition, this may open new perspectives for the management of other tumors of the middle ear (eg. Paraganglioma) and even allow to approach differently the internal auditory canal and the cerebellopontine angle (auditory schwannomas, meningiomas). µRoCS will provide high-level scientific contributions: image guided surgery and surgeon-robot interface, micromechatronics design, biomedical images-based control schemes. Moreover, technological innovations will have the potential to be transferred to other industries.