Here, novel multifunctional electronic skins (E‐skins) based on aligned few‐walled carbon nanotube (AFWCNT) polymer composites with a piezoresistive functioning mechanism different from the mostly investigated theory of “tunneling current channels” in randomly dispersed CNT polymer composites are demonstrated. The high performances of as‐prepared E‐skins originate from the anisotropic conductivity of AFWCNT array embedded in flexible composite and the distinct variation of “tube‐to‐tube” interfacial resistance responsive to bending or stretching. The polymer/AFWCNT‐based flexion‐sensitive E‐skins exhibit high precision and linearity, together with low power consumption (<10 µW) and good stability (no degradation after 15 000 bending–unbending cycles). Moreover, polymer/AFWCNT composites can also be used for the construction of tensile‐sensitive E‐skins, which exhibit high sensitivity toward tensile force. The polymer/AFWCNT‐based E‐skins show remarkable performances when applied to monitor the motions and postures of body joints (such as fingers), a capability that can find wide applications in wearable human–machine communication interfaces, portable motion detectors, and bionic robots.

Key hurdles for replacing damaged cartilage with an equivalent synthetic construct are the development of a hydrogel with a strength that exceeds that of cartilage and fixation of this hydrogel onto the surface of an articulating joint. This article describes the first hydrogel with a tensile and compressive strength (51 and 98 MPa) that exceeds those of cartilage (40 and 59 MPa), and the first attachment of a hydrogel to a metal backing with a shear strength (2.0 MPa) that exceeds that of cartilage on bone (1.2 MPa). The hydrogel strength is achieved through reinforcement of crystallized polyvinyl alcohol with bacterial cellulose. The high attachment strength is achieved by securing freeze-dried bacterial cellulose to a metal backing with an adhesive and a shape memory alloy clamp prior to infiltration and crystallization of the polyvinyl alcohol. The bacterial cellulose-reinforced polyvinyl alcohol is three times more wear resistant than cartilage over one million cycles and exhibits the same coefficient of friction. These advances in hydrogel strength and attachment enable the creation of a hydrogel-based implant for durable resurfacing of damaged articulating joints.

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The purpose of this work was to characterize and improve the ability of fused filament fabrication to create anthropomorphic physical phantoms for CT research. Specifically, we sought to develop the ability to create multiple levels of X-ray attenuation with a single material. Methods: CT images of 3D printed cylinders with different infill angles and printing patterns were assessed by comparing their 2D noise power spectra to determine the conditions that produced minimal and uniform noise. A backfilling approach in which additional polymer was extruded into an existing 3D printed background layer was developed to create multiple levels of image contrast. Results: A print with nine infill angles and a rectilinear infill pattern was found to have the best uniformity, but the printed objects were not as uniform as a commercial phantom. An HU dynamic range of 600 was achieved by changing the infill percentage from 40% to 100%. The backfilling technique enabled control of up to eight levels of contrast within one object across a range of 200 HU, similar to the range of soft tissue. A contrast detail phantom with six levels of contrast and an anthropomorphic liver phantom with four levels of contrast were printed with a single material. Conclusion: This work improves the uniformity and levels of contrast that can be achieved with fused filament fabrication, thereby enabling researchers to easily create more detailed physical phantoms, including realistic, anthropomorphic textures.