Soft Somatosensitive Actuators via Embedded 3D Printing

Ryan L. Truby; Michael Wehner; Abigail K. Grosskopf; Daniel M. Vogt; Sebastien G.M. Uzel; Robert J. Wood; Jennifer A. Lewis

doi:10.1002/adma.201706383

Soft Somatosensitive Actuators via Embedded 3D Printing

Ryan L. Truby, Michael Wehner, Abigail K. Grosskopf, Daniel M. Vogt, Sebastien G.M. Uzel, Robert J. Wood^*, Jennifer A. Lewis

^*Corresponding author for this work

Materials Science and Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

480 Scopus citations

Abstract

Humans possess manual dexterity, motor skills, and other physical abilities that rely on feedback provided by the somatosensory system. Herein, a method is reported for creating soft somatosensitive actuators (SSAs) via embedded 3D printing, which are innervated with multiple conductive features that simultaneously enable haptic, proprioceptive, and thermoceptive sensing. This novel manufacturing approach enables the seamless integration of multiple ionically conductive and fluidic features within elastomeric matrices to produce SSAs with the desired bioinspired sensing and actuation capabilities. Each printed sensor is composed of an ionically conductive gel that exhibits both long-term stability and hysteresis-free performance. As an exemplar, multiple SSAs are combined into a soft robotic gripper that provides proprioceptive and haptic feedback via embedded curvature, inflation, and contact sensors, including deep and fine touch contact sensors. The multimaterial manufacturing platform enables complex sensing motifs to be easily integrated into soft actuating systems, which is a necessary step toward closed-loop feedback control of soft robots, machines, and haptic devices.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	1706383
Journal	Advanced Materials
Volume	30
Issue number	15
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201706383
State	Published - Apr 12 2018

Funding

The authors thank A.D. Valentine and J.T. Muth for their valuable input and L.K. Sanders for assistance with photography and videography. The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation through the Harvard MRSEC (DMR-1420570) and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. R.L.T. acknowledges support from a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. J.A.L. acknowledges support from the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship Program sponsored by the Basic Research Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and funded by the Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-16-1-2823, as well as the generous donation from the GETTYLAB in support of this work.

Keywords

3D printing
haptics
ionogels
soft robotics
soft sensors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Materials Science
Mechanics of Materials
Mechanical Engineering

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1002/adma.201706383

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title = "Soft Somatosensitive Actuators via Embedded 3D Printing",

abstract = "Humans possess manual dexterity, motor skills, and other physical abilities that rely on feedback provided by the somatosensory system. Herein, a method is reported for creating soft somatosensitive actuators (SSAs) via embedded 3D printing, which are innervated with multiple conductive features that simultaneously enable haptic, proprioceptive, and thermoceptive sensing. This novel manufacturing approach enables the seamless integration of multiple ionically conductive and fluidic features within elastomeric matrices to produce SSAs with the desired bioinspired sensing and actuation capabilities. Each printed sensor is composed of an ionically conductive gel that exhibits both long-term stability and hysteresis-free performance. As an exemplar, multiple SSAs are combined into a soft robotic gripper that provides proprioceptive and haptic feedback via embedded curvature, inflation, and contact sensors, including deep and fine touch contact sensors. The multimaterial manufacturing platform enables complex sensing motifs to be easily integrated into soft actuating systems, which is a necessary step toward closed-loop feedback control of soft robots, machines, and haptic devices.",

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note = "Funding Information: The authors thank A.D. Valentine and J.T. Muth for their valuable input and L.K. Sanders for assistance with photography and videography. The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation through the Harvard MRSEC (DMR-1420570) and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. R.L.T. acknowledges support from a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. J.A.L. acknowledges support from the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship Program sponsored by the Basic Research Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and funded by the Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-16-1-2823, as well as the generous donation from the GETTYLAB in support of this work. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim",

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AU - Wood, Robert J.

AU - Lewis, Jennifer A.

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N2 - Humans possess manual dexterity, motor skills, and other physical abilities that rely on feedback provided by the somatosensory system. Herein, a method is reported for creating soft somatosensitive actuators (SSAs) via embedded 3D printing, which are innervated with multiple conductive features that simultaneously enable haptic, proprioceptive, and thermoceptive sensing. This novel manufacturing approach enables the seamless integration of multiple ionically conductive and fluidic features within elastomeric matrices to produce SSAs with the desired bioinspired sensing and actuation capabilities. Each printed sensor is composed of an ionically conductive gel that exhibits both long-term stability and hysteresis-free performance. As an exemplar, multiple SSAs are combined into a soft robotic gripper that provides proprioceptive and haptic feedback via embedded curvature, inflation, and contact sensors, including deep and fine touch contact sensors. The multimaterial manufacturing platform enables complex sensing motifs to be easily integrated into soft actuating systems, which is a necessary step toward closed-loop feedback control of soft robots, machines, and haptic devices.

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Soft Somatosensitive Actuators via Embedded 3D Printing

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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