Electronic skin (e‐skin) integrating pressure sensors and strain sensors has shown great potential applications in smart robotics and healthcare monitoring for their flexibility and wearability. However, making the sensor low cost and highly durable for industrialization and commercialization is still a problem to be addressed. An embedded 3D printing technology is developed based on novel thermosetting printing ink which is prepared using the Ecoflex and carbon nanoparticles. The properties of the printing ink including printability and electrical conductivity are first studied and then optimized. By using this technology, a glove‐shaped e‐skin integrating both strain sensors and pressure sensors is fabricated, and the properties of the sensors are studied. Both types of sensors have excellent stability and reliability which are verified by multiple long‐term measurements (10 000 testing cycles). Specifically, the sensors possess a great shock resistance and high durability which are significant for application in real life. Furthermore, some applications for human activity monitoring and personal healthcare are demonstrated, including complex gesture recognition using 15 strain sensors, hardness sensing using pressure sensors coupled with strain sensors, and arterial pulse measurement using pressure sensors, which are promising for smart robotic sensing and wearable biomedical devices.
The rational design of high‐performance flexible pressure sensors with both high sensitivity and large workable range attracts great attentions due to the potential applications in wearable electronics and human–machine interfaces. Here, carbon black (CB) from diesel soot, an air pollutant produced during incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, is used as the active material to construct high‐performance flexible all‐textile pressure sensors. Due to the unique hierarchical structures and large surface roughness of the CB‐coated fabric, the pressure sensor exhibits outstanding performances, such as high sensitivity (81.61 kPa−1 within the range of 0–10 kPa), extrawide workable pressure regime (0–100 kPa), and rapid response and relaxation time (6 and 30 ms, respectively). Based on these superior sensing properties, its practical applications are demonstrated in detecting the signals of musical sound and of human physiology, showing its potential for health monitoring as wearable electronics.
Origami offers a promising alternative for designing innovative soft robotic actuators. While features of origami, such as bi-directional motion and structural anisotropy, haven't been extensively explored in the past, this letter presents a novel design inspired by origami tubes for a bi-directional actuator. This actuator is capable of moving in two orthogonal directions and has separate channels throughout its body to control each movement. We introduce a bottom-up design methodology that can also be adapted for other complex movements. The actuator was manufactured using popular 3D printing techniques. To enhance its durability, we experimented with different 3D printing technologies and materials. The actuator's strength was further improved using silicon spin coating, and we compared the performance of coated, uncoated, and silicononly specimens. The material model was empirically derived by testing specimens on a universal testing machine (UTM). Lastly, we suggest potential applications for these actuators, such as in quadruped robots.
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