A continuing challenge in structural health monitoring – the monitoring of the condition and integrity of buildings, bridges, aircraft, machinery and other engineered systems – is obtaining accurate and stable strain measurements using sensors that are small, durable and suitable for demanding environments. Reliable strain information can support earlier identification of structural changes and predictive maintenance in industries such as aerospace, energy and robotics.

IPR Innovative Products Resources, Inc., based in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and with R&D facilities in Technoparc Saint-Laurent, Quebec, will develop a compact 3-axis MEMS Digital Strain Gauge and the fabrication and packaging processes needed to produce it. Integrated into structural health monitoring systems, the technology is intended to help identify changes in structural or equipment condition before they lead to costly repairs, downtime or safety risks.

Conventional strain gauges are proven and widely used, but some applications can be constrained by measurement range, long-term stability, environmental exposure, installation requirements and associated signal-conditioning needs. These factors can create challenges for miniature, autonomous and long-duration monitoring systems.

IPR’s Compliant-Substrate Digital MEMS Platform (CS-DMP), incorporating a 3-axis MEMS Digital Strain Gauge (DSG), is intended to address these challenges. The platform is being designed to efficiently transfer structural strain to miniature MEMS sensing elements and provide high-resolution digital measurements over a wider operating range than is practical with many conventional approaches.

Designed for integration with advanced and AI/ML-enabled structural health monitoring systems, the platform will combine miniature sensing elements, low-power electronics and digital output to simplify integration with connected monitoring architectures.

IPR will lead sensor and system architecture, technology integration, intellectual property strategy, industry engagement and commercialization planning. C2MI, based in Bromont, Quebec, will support wafer-level fabrication, bonding, compliant-substrate transfer, packaging development and pilot manufacturing activities, while contributing process optimization and scale-up expertise. École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) will support device modelling, electronics integration, validation testing and training of highly qualified personnel. Together, the partners will establish a pathway from device and process validation toward representative operational demonstration.

The expected outcome is a validated 3-axis MEMS Digital Strain Gauge demonstrated in a representative operational environment, together with scalable Canadian fabrication and packaging processes supporting a pathway toward pilot manufacturing and future commercialization.