An Interdisciplinary Tutorial: A Self-Healing Soft Finger with Embedded Sensor

Roels, Ellen; Terryn, Seppe; Ferrentino, Pasquale; Brancart, Joost; Assche, Guy Van; Vanderborght, Bram

doi:10.3390/s23020811

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The easy mechanical design of the tendon-based actuation well-fits this workshop for children and is used to develop manually driven soft fingers. Alternatively, manual control can be extended to a servo motor controlled with an Arduino, as available in other workshops [43].…”

Section: Tendon-based Soft Robotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Engineering Outreach Activity: How to Develop a Tendon-Based Soft Robotic Finger?

Demir,

Roels,

Terryn

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Educ.

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Contribution: This article presents an engineering outreach activity that aims to teach K-12 students how to develop a tendon-based soft robotic finger. The primary objectives of this STEM activity are to introduce students to the fundamentals of soft robotics, its interdisciplinary nature, and to offer them a hands-on and engaging learning experience using the projectbased-learning approach.Background: Soft robotics, an interdisciplinary field combining chemistry, materials science, and robotics, has the potential to revolutionize the design and development of robots. However, introducing the fundamental concepts of soft robotics to K-12 students can be challenging since traditional robotic activities often require complex programming, technical expertise and expensive equipment and software.Intended Outcomes: Increasing the students' understanding of soft robotics principles, materials, and polymer processing. Positively impacting students' perception of engineering as a potential career path by enhancing their attitudes toward STEM.Application Design: Students could develop manually actuated soft robotic fingers within a 45-min workshop by utilizing 3-D printed molds, rapidly curing elastomeric materials, and the basic mold casting method. The outreach activity is intentionally designed to simplify the technology used by eliminating the need for complex programming, and to focus on utilizing novel materials and basic concepts to construct actuating soft robots, providing an effective and engaging STEM activity for K-12 students.Findings: The success/effectiveness of the activity was evaluated in three ways: 1) through direct inspection on the performance of the student-fabricated soft finger during the workshop; 2) through the pre-and post-tests to evaluate the learning outcomes; and 3) by conducting a STEM outreach survey to gather student feedback on the quality of the outreach activity and their attitudes toward STEM. During the workshop activities, the students were able to effectively follow the instructions, construct a tendon-based soft robotic finger, and manually actuate the finger using the tendon. According to the results of

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Section: Tendon-based Soft Robotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The second workshop was conducted at the "Science Show" [43] hosted by the VUB on 6 February 2023 and 7 February 2023, catering to 14 to 15 year-old and 16-yearold students, respectively. The workshop consisted of four repeated 1-h sessions spread across two days, with a maximum capacity of 20 students per session.…”

Section: Outreach Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

An Engineering Outreach Activity: How to Develop a Tendon-Based Soft Robotic Finger?

Demir,

Roels,

Terryn

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Educ.

Self Cite

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“…Unlike human sensors, synthetic tactile sensors do not inherently possess mechanisms to maintain their structural integrity. To address the damage of sensor or robotic skin, researchers have explored strategies to emulate the regenerative capacities of human skin, including the healing from cuts using healable materials [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. For example, Roels et al [19,20] employed thermo-reversible Diels-Alder bonds to manufacture a soft finger that can heal from cuts through heating.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To address the damage of sensor or robotic skin, researchers have explored strategies to emulate the regenerative capacities of human skin, including the healing from cuts using healable materials [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. For example, Roels et al [19,20] employed thermo-reversible Diels-Alder bonds to manufacture a soft finger that can heal from cuts through heating. The finger was equipped with a bending sensor circuit made from the healable material.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healing Function for Abraded Fingerprint Ridges in Tactile Texture Sensors

Yanwari,

Okamoto

2024

Sensors

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Tactile texture sensors are designed to evaluate the sensations felt when a human touches an object. Prior studies have demonstrated the necessity for these sensors to have compliant ridges on their surfaces that mimic human fingerprints. These features enable the simulation of contact phenomena, especially friction and vibration, between human fingertips and objects, enhancing the tactile sensation evaluation. However, the ridges on tactile sensors are susceptible to abrasion damage from repeated use. To date, the healing function of abraded ridges has not been proposed, and its effectiveness needs to be demonstrated. In this study, we investigated whether the signal detection capabilities of a sensor with abraded epidermal ridges could be restored by healing the ridges using polyvinyl chloride plastisol as the sensor material. We developed a prototype tactile sensor with an embedded strain gauge, which was used to repeatedly scan roughness specimens. After more than 1000 measurements, we observed significant deterioration in the sensor’s output signal level. The ridges were then reshaped using a mold with a heating function, allowing the sensor to partially regain its original signal levels. This method shows potential for extending the operational lifespan of tactile texture sensors with compliant ridges.

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“…This unique feature not only presents significant potential for material recycling but also enables a wide array of processing techniques to be employed [14]. These techniques encompass formative manufacturing methods such as casting [26], injection molding [27], and compression molding [28], as well as additive manufacturing approaches including fused filament fabrication [29,30], direct ink writing [31], and selective laser sintering [32]. Moreover, assembly and binding techniques can also be utilized with these polymers [14,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fast Self-Healing at Room Temperature in Diels–Alder Elastomers

Safaei,

Brancart,

Wang

et al. 2023

Polymers

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Despite being primarily categorized as non-autonomous self-healing polymers, we demonstrate the ability of Diels–Alder polymers to heal macroscopic damages at room temperature, resulting in complete restoration of their mechanical properties within a few hours. Moreover, we observe immediate partial recovery, occurring mere minutes after reuniting the fractured surfaces. This fast room-temperature healing is accomplished by employing an off-stoichiometric maleimide-to-furan ratio in the polymer network. Through an extensive investigation of seven Diels–Alder polymers, the influence of crosslink density on self-healing, thermal, and (thermo-)mechanical performance was thoroughly examined. Crosslink density variations were achieved by adjusting the molecular weight of the monomers or utilizing the off-stoichiometric maleimide-to-furan ratio. Quasistatic tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis, dynamic rheometry, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis were employed to evaluate the individual effects of these parameters on material performance. While lowering the crosslink density in the polymer network via decreasing the off-stoichiometric ratio demonstrated the greatest acceleration of healing, it also led to a slight decrease in (dynamic) mechanical performance. On the other hand, reducing crosslink density using longer monomers resulted in faster healing, albeit to a lesser extent, while maintaining the (dynamic) mechanical performance.

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An Interdisciplinary Tutorial: A Self-Healing Soft Finger with Embedded Sensor

Cited by 3 publications

References 28 publications

An Engineering Outreach Activity: How to Develop a Tendon-Based Soft Robotic Finger?

An Engineering Outreach Activity: How to Develop a Tendon-Based Soft Robotic Finger?

Healing Function for Abraded Fingerprint Ridges in Tactile Texture Sensors

Fast Self-Healing at Room Temperature in Diels–Alder Elastomers

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