3D Printed Stretchable Tactile Sensors

Abstract

The development of methods for the 3D printing of multifunctional devices could impact areas ranging from wearable electronics and energy harvesting devices to smart prosthetics and human–machine interfaces. Recently, the development of stretchable electronic devices has accelerated, concomitant with advances in functional materials and fabrication processes. In particular, novel strategies have been developed to enable the intimate biointegration of wearable electronic devices with human skin in ways that bypass the mechanical and thermal restrictions of traditional microfabrication technologies. Here, a multimaterial, multiscale, and multifunctional 3D printing approach is employed to fabricate 3D tactile sensors under ambient conditions conformally onto freeform surfaces. The customized sensor is demonstrated with the capabilities of detecting and differentiating human movements, including pulse monitoring and finger motions. The custom 3D printing of functional materials and devices opens new routes for the biointegration of various sensors in wearable electronics systems, and toward advanced bionic skin applications.

A Flexible Wearable Pressure Sensor with Bioinspired Microcrack and Interlocking for Full‐Range Human–Machine Interfacing

“…Flexible wearable pressure sensors have attracted considerable attention for their substantial applications in various wearable electronic sensing, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] healthcare monitoring, [8][9][10][11][12][13] their crack-shaped vibration-sensitive slit organ embedded in the exoskeleton. [36] Inspired by the mechanosensory systems in spiders, researchers have established various crack-shaped wearable pressure sensors, which benefit from the reversible crack connection.…”

Designification of Neurotechnological Devices through 3D Printed Functional Materials

“…Recently, Guo et al [55] developed a 3D printed stretchable sensor for tactile signal acquisition (Figure 8). Briefly, the conductive ink was composed of submicrometer-sized silver nanoparticles embedded within a room temperature curable silicone elastomer [56] and evaluated for extrudability at varying concentrations up to 86 wt%.…”

“…D) Representative current changes of mounted sensor upon pressing (left), bending (center) and mounted upon the fingertip. Reproduced with permission [55]. Copyright 2017, WILEY-VCH.…”

3D Printed Functional and Biological Materials on Moving Freeform Surfaces

“…Previous approaches relied on open-loop calibrate-then-print procedures by utilizing cumbersome reverse-engineering techniques, with demonstrations such as 3D printed tactile sensors on a model hand, [27] microfluidic devices on whole organ models, [28] and bacteria-derived materials on a doll face. [29] Yet, these approaches were only applicable to static target surfaces.…”