3D printing of soft sensors for soft gripper applications

Goh, Guo Liang; Yeong, Wai Yee; Altherr, Jannick; Tan, Jingyuan; Campolo, Domenico

doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2022.09.025

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In recent years, with the rapid development of artificial Internet of Things (AIoT) and artificial intelligence technology, more and more flexible wearable devices can be competent for complicated recognition tasks, leading to a progressive revolution [ 1 – 3 ]. Among them, electronic textiles (e-textiles) that integrate various electronic devices such as flexible sensors [ 4 ], energy collectors [ 5 ], and energy storage devices [ 6 ] into fabrics have been considered as one kind of the most ideal flexible wearable devices and attracted tremendous attention of many researchers worldwide [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Deep Learning-Enabled Skin-Inspired Pressure Sensor for Complicated Recognition Tasks with Ultralong Life

Xie

Huang

et al. 2023

Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Flexible full-textile pressure sensor is able to integrate with clothing directly, which has drawn extensive attention from scholars recently. But the realization of flexible full-textile pressure sensor with high sensitivity, wide detection range, and long working life remains challenge. Complex recognition tasks necessitate intricate sensor arrays that require extensive data processing and are susceptible to damage. The human skin is capable of interpreting tactile signals, such as sliding, by encoding pressure changes and performing complex perceptual tasks. Inspired by the skin, we have developed a simple dip-and-dry approach to fabricate a full-textile pressure sensor with signal transmission layers, protective layers, and sensing layers. The sensor achieves high sensitivity (2.16 kPa −1 ), ultrawide detection range (0 to 155.485 kPa), impressive mechanical stability of 1 million loading/unloading cycles without fatigue, and low material cost. The signal transmission layers that collect local signals enable real-world complicated task recognition through one single sensor. We developed an artificial Internet of Things system utilizing a single sensor, which successfully achieved high accuracy in 4 tasks, including handwriting digit recognition and human activity recognition. The results demonstrate that skin-inspired full-textile sensor paves a promising route toward the development of electronic textiles with important potential in real-world applications, including human–machine interaction and human activity detection.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Deep Learning-Enabled Skin-Inspired Pressure Sensor for Complicated Recognition Tasks with Ultralong Life

Xie

Huang

et al. 2023

Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…With the progress in sophisticated product design and the need for smarter electronics, there has been an increased emphasis on soft body electronics (mainly stretchable soft polymeric films) over the rigid body (e.g., silica fiber cloth) and flexible body (plastic film). − Soft electronic devices have the ability to both conform to surface contour freely and stretch on surfaces experiencing distortion. This gives rise to the creation of soft interconnects, soft sensors, and soft actuators with a high degree of freedom, all containing conductive patterns, which is the focus of this review.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication Approaches of Soft Electronics

Tan

Farraj

Kamyshny

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of conductive materials to be printed/embedded onto/within a polymeric matrix has gained increasing attention in the fabrication of next-generation soft electronics. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the materials and approaches for the fabrication of 2D and 3D conductive structures while focusing on the importance of the compatibility between the particles' shape, the polymeric matrix type, and the deposition method, along with the target application. The review presents a summary of the main conductive materials and the type of polymeric materials which were utilized for fabricating soft electronic devices that are bendable/twistable and stretchable. It is divided into two sections: Introduction section, which presents briefly conductive materials, polymeric matrix, and fabrication methods, and Fabrication section, presenting the main 6 approaches of fabrication. Each of the fabrication subsections presents the main recent reports in a detailed table. The review is concluded with an Outlook section, describing the current challenges in this field. Despite the progress in the fabrication of 2D bendable/twistable electronic devices toward industrial integration, there is still a need for tailoring and improving the durability and robustness of 3D stretchable electronic devices.

show abstract

“…[10] This could further streamline the autonomy of such robotic grippers by simplifying system inputs while enhancing gripping performance on certain objects. [11] With the parallel advancements in sensing technology and integration onto soft grippers, real-time feedback gives information about grasped objects, [12][13][14][15] leading to multifunctional grippers that can inspect and manipulate products with a single robotic arm. These sensors also play a key role in ensuring the reliability of grippers, by creating a feedback loop of data to ensure sufficient and minimal force required to manipulate fragile objects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 3D Printing‐Enabled Artificially Innervated Smart Soft Gripper with Variable Joint Stiffness

Goh,

Nguyen

et al. 2023

Adv Materials Technologies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The manufacturing industry has witnessed advancements in soft robotics, specifically in robotic grippers for handling fragile or irregular objects. However, challenges remain in balancing shape compliance, structural rigidity, weight, and sensor integration. To address these limitations, a 3D‐printed multimaterial gripper design is proposed. This approach utilizes a single, nearly fully automated 3D printing process to create a universal gripper with almost no assembly work. By processing functional polymer, polymer nanocomposite, and metal wire simultaneously, this technique enables multifunctionality. The gripper achieves different gripping configurations by adjusting joint stiffness through Joule heating of conductive polylactic acid material, ensuring shape conformance. Embedded metal wires, created using an in‐house wire embedding technique, form reliable high‐current‐loading interconnections for the conductive joints acting as the heater. Additionally, an integrated soft sensor printed in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and conductive TPU detects compression levels and discerns handled samples. This study showcases the potential of 3D multimaterial printing for on‐demand fabrication of a smart universal gripper with variable stiffness and integrated sensors, benefiting the automation industry. Overall, this work presents an effective strategy for designing and fabricating integrated multifunctional structures using soft, rigid, and conductive materials, such as polymer, polymer nanocomposite, and metal through multimaterial 3D printing.

show abstract

3D printing of soft sensors for soft gripper applications

Cited by 11 publications

References 39 publications

A Deep Learning-Enabled Skin-Inspired Pressure Sensor for Complicated Recognition Tasks with Ultralong Life

A Deep Learning-Enabled Skin-Inspired Pressure Sensor for Complicated Recognition Tasks with Ultralong Life

Fabrication Approaches of Soft Electronics

A 3D Printing‐Enabled Artificially Innervated Smart Soft Gripper with Variable Joint Stiffness

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About