Princeton researchers have developed a flexible, lightweight and energy efficient soft robot that moves without the use of any legs or rotary parts. Instead, the device uses actuators that convert electrical energy into vibrations that allow it to wiggle from point to point using only a single watt.

Inch by inch, this machine is leading soft robotics telecient future

3D printing is advancing rapidly, and the range of materials that can be used has expanded considerably. While the technology was previously limited to fast-curing plastics, it has now been made suitable for slow-curing plastics as well. These have decisive advantages as they have enhanced elastic properties and are more durable and robust.The use of such polymers is made possible by a new technology developed by researchers at ETH Zurich and a US start-up. As a result, researchers can now 3D print complex, more durable robots from a variety of high-quality materials in one go. This new technology also makes it easy to combine soft, elastic, and rigid materials. The researchers can also use it to create delicate structures and parts with cavities as desired.<h2>Materials that return to their original state</h2>Using the new technology, researchers at ETH Zurich have succeeded for the first time in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons made of different polymers in one go. “We wouldn’t have been able to make this hand with the fast-curing polyacrylates we’ve been using in 3D printing so far,” explains Thomas Buchner, a doctoral student in the group of ETH Zurich robotics professor Robert Katzschmann and first author of the study. “We’re now using slow-curing thiolene polymers. These have very good elastic properties and return to their original state much faster after bending than polyacrylates.” This makes thiolene polymers ideal for producing the elastic ligaments of the robotic hand.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/54jg4uduIt0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe>(Video: ETH Zurich / Nicole Davidson)In addition, the stiffness of thiolenes can be fine-tuned very well to meet the requirements of soft robots. “Robots made of soft materials, such as the hand we developed, have advantages over conventional robots made of metal. Because they’re soft, there is less risk of injury when they work with humans, and they are better suited to handling fragile goods,” Katzschmann explains.<h2>Scanning instead of scraping</h2>3D printers typically produce objects layer by layer: nozzles deposit a given material in viscous form at each point; a UV lamp then cures each layer immediately. Previous methods involved a device that scraped off surface irregularities after each curing step. This works only with fast-curing polyacrylates. Slow-curing polymers such as thiolenes and epoxies would gum up the scraper.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1700105394264-image.imageformat.1286.1632000253.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The robotic hand is printed layer by layer using polymers of varying elasticity (left: schematic, right: computer graphics). (Visualisations: Buchner TJK et al., Nature 2023)To accommodate the use of slow-curing polymers, the researchers developed 3D printing further by adding a 3D laser scanner that immediately checks each printed layer for any surface irregularities. “A feedback mechanism compensates for these irregularities when printing the next layer by calculating any necessary adjustments to the amount of material to be printed in real time and with pinpoint accuracy,” explains Wojciech Matusik, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US and co-author of the study. This means that instead of smoothing out uneven layers, the new technology simply takes the unevenness into account when printing the next layer.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1700105413274-image.imageformat.1286.1443377098.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Other examples of 3D-printing include a legged robot and metamaterials. The latter could be used to absorb vibrations. (Photographs: ETH Zurich / Thomas Buchner)Inkbit, an MIT spin-off, was responsible for developing the new printing technology. The ETH Zurich researchers developed several robotic applications and helped optimise the printing technology for use with slow-curing polymers. The researchers from Switzerland and the US have now jointly published the technology and their sample applications in the journal Nature.At ETH Zurich, Katzschmann’s group will use the technology to explore further possibilities and to design even more sophisticated structures and develop additional applications. Inkbit is planning to use the new technology to offer a 3D printing service to its customers and to sell the new printers.<hr><h2 id="isPasted">Reference</h2>Buchner TJK, Rogler S, Weirich S, Armati Y, Cangan BG, Ramos J, Twiddy S, Marini D, Weber A, Chen D, Ellson G, Jacob J, Zengerle W, Katalichenko D, Keny C, Matusik W, Katzschmann RK: Vision-Controlled Jetting for Composite Systems and Robots, Nature, 15. November 2023, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06684-3" target="_blank">external page10.1038/s41586-023-06684-3</a>

3D printed in one go: A robotic hand made of varyingly rigid and elastic polymers. (Photograph: ETH Zurich/Thomas Buchner)

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons made of different polymers using a new laser scanning technique.

Printed robots with bones, ligaments, and tendons

At EPFL's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epfl.ch/labs/create/" target="_blank">CREATE lab</a>, under the guidance of Josie Hughes, a breakthrough has been made in the realm of soft robotics. Drawing inspiration from the versatile movement of elephant trunks and octopus tentacles, the team introduced the trimmed helicoid — a novel robotic structure that promises greater compliance and control in robotic designs. With a blend of keen biological observation and computational modeling, the researchers have now unveiled a soft robot arm capable of intricate tasks, ensuring safer human-robot interactions. The findings, detailing both the structure and methodology, are a collaboration with the Department of Cognitive Robotics at TU Delft and were published in Nature's new journal, npj Robotics.Professor Hughes highlighted the importance of this development: "Through the invention of a new architectured structure, the trimmed helicoid, we've designed a robot arm that excels in control, range of motion, and safety. When the novel architecture is combined with distributed actuation— where multiple actuators are placed throughout a structure or device—this robot arm has a vast range of motion, high precision, and is inherently safe for human interaction."Whereas traditional robots are rigid, often making them unsuitable for delicate tasks or close human interactions, CREATE's soft robot arm is designed for safer interactions with humans and adaptability to a wider range of tasks. With an unprecedented combination of flexibility and precision, the soft and compliant nature of the arm reduces potential risks during human-robot interactions. This opens doors for its application in healthcare, elderly care, and more. Unlike their rigid counterparts, the soft robot arm can adapt to different shapes and surfaces, making it an ideal tool for intricate tasks like picking fruits or handling fragile items. In industry, it might become the go-to solution for delicate assembly lines, working alongside humans, augmenting their capacity instead of replacing them. The agricultural industry could also benefit from its gentle touch in handling crops, accompanying workers to lessen their workload during intense harvesting periods.The crux of the research lies in the robotic arm’s novel architecture. The researchers have creatively modified a spring-like spiral, which they call a 'helicoid', by trimming parts of it to give it diverse functionalities. This seemingly simple act has allowed them to precisely control how flexible or stiff the spiral becomes in different directions. By adjusting its shape, they can make the inner part resistant to being squashed and the outer part flexible enough to bend easily. With this special design, they've created a soft robot that can move and act in ways previously unseen, showing the kind of dexterity and soft touch found in nature, like in an elephant's trunk or an octopus's tentacle."By observing these animals and developing a novel architectured structure, we aim to mimic this range of motion and control found in Nature," Josie Hughesnoted. To do so, the team employed advanced computer modeling to turn observations into tangible results. Using these models, they iteratively tested their innovative spiral designs — into a final trimmed helicoid shape. Qinghua Guan and Francesco Stella, who spearheaded the actual creation of the robot, gave insights into the design and optimization process: "We introduce a specific surface into the computer model, then trim and adjust. Computational methods guide us, helping assess the optimal geometric structure for maximum workspace and compliance." The result? A robotic creation, drawing from nature, but refined with precise human ingenuity and computer modeling. “In the end, our computer models were accurate to the point where we only had to build one version of the arm.”The advancements at EPFL's CREATE lab symbolize a pivotal shift in the robotics field. Traditional robotic applications, dominated by rigid mechanics, could see a shift towards this softer, more human-friendly counterpart. A patent has been filed for this first commercial soft manipulator, and a EPFL and TU Delft joint start-up has been launched under the name Helix Robotics. As Professor Hughes aptly summarized, "Merging keen observations from nature with precise computational modeling has unveiled the potential of soft robotics for future commercial applications. As we move forward, our aim is to bring robots closer to humans, not just in proximity but in understanding and collaboration. We hope that this soft robotic arm exemplifies a future where machines assist, complement, and understand human needs more deeply than ever before."<hr>Professor Josie Hughes will be showing the Helix robot along with several other of her creations at the&nbsp;<a href="https://swissroboticsday.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swiss Robotics Day</a> at ETHZ on November 3rd. Many other EPFL professors will be showcasing their work. The day is dedicated to the best of Swiss robotics across industry, startups, universities, research labs, nonprofits, and government. The event features high-profile speakers (Boston Dynamics, Disney) and panelists, along with startup pitches and 50+ exhibition booths with live demos.ReferencesGuan, Q., Stella, F., Della Santina, C. et al. Trimmed helicoids: an architectured soft structure yielding soft robots with high precision, large workspace, and compliant interactions. npj Robot 1, 4 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44182-023-00004-7

EPFL researchers have designed a bio-inspired robot with a novel trimmed helicoid structure that allows for a wide range of motion and safe interaction with humans.

Soft, elephant trunk-like robot for close interaction with humans

Thibaut Soulestin, PhD ; Lead Application Engineer at Henkel Printed Electronics; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-fr-linked="true" href="mailto:thibaut.soulestin@henkel.com">thibaut.soulestin@henkel.com</a>Henkel Adhesive Technologies has developed a large material portfolio of conductive inks and coatings suitable for printed electronics technology. Our portfolio offers material solutions ideal for various smart surface technologies, including self-regulating foil heaters. Self- regulating foil heaters are enabled by Henkel’s Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) inks in combination with silver and dielectric inks. Understanding the origin of the PTC effect, typical characterizations, and basic design rules enable our customers to reveal the full potential of this technology.<h3>1 &nbsp; Introduction to Henkel Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) carbon inks</h3>Different types of conductive polymer composites (CPC) exhibit positive temperature coefficient (PTC) properties. They have been extensively studied and some are commercially available. A vast majority is obtained by compounding a polymer binder with conductive fillers, mostly carbon-based.The increase in resistance of the conductive networks during heating is caused by the thermal expansion of the polymer and the change in the distance between the conductive fillers. The PTC effect usually occurs during the phase transition of the polymer matrix, the glass transition, or the melting. After the maximum PTC effect, if the temperature keeps rising, a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) effect can be observed due to the re-aggregation of the conductive particles.Henkel carbon PTC inks are like other screen-printable carbon inks and are based on three main components:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (i) &nbsp;carbon particles for the electrical conductivity,&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (ii) &nbsp;a polymer binder for the mechanical properties and adhesion to the substrate, and&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (iii) &nbsp;a solvent.The dry ink layer is then obtained after drying and solvent evaporation.Henkel developed a specific and patented technology using micronized wax particles to introduce the PTC effect. A fine wax powder is added as a fourth main component to the ink. The resistance will increase exponentially near the wax melting point, resulting in a high PTC ratio and a well-controlled self-regulation temperature. By finely controlling the melting point and the size of the wax particles, and thus the particles’ volume expansion, the PTC effect can be finely tuned to match customer requirements.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk1MjAxOTg1OTI0LVNjcmVlbnNob3QgMjAyMy0wOS0yMCAwOTI1NTIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 544px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Figure 1. Schematic graph representing the exponential increase of resistance of Henkel positive temperature coefficient (PTC) ink. At a defined temperature, the micronized wax particles (spherical white), nicely dispersed between the carbon particles (black ovals), increase in volume, pulling apart the conductive carbon particles, leading to the resistance increase.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1699454978001-B-and-B-2024%28blog%29.jpg" style="width: 734px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Join us in Berlin and/or Boston and lets us RESHAPE the Future of Electronics, making it Additive, Sustainable, Hybrid, Wearable, and 3D - techblick.comTable 1 overviews the commercially available and under-development Henkel PTC ink range. Low voltage inks are formulated to self-regulate at voltages below 50 V. High voltage inks, identified by HV in the name, can be used for voltages above 50 V. Low and high voltage inks differ mostly by their sheet resistance. A non-conductive ink, NCI, is also available for each self- regulation temperature, allowing the printer to adjust the sheet resistance.Table 1. Henkel PTC ink range.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk1MjAyMDI0NTc2LVNjcmVlbnNob3QgMjAyMy0wOS0yMCAwOTM2MjcucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 629px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h3 id="isPasted">2 &nbsp; Typical Example of 9V, 60 °C, self-regulating demo heater</h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;2.1 &nbsp;LayoutFigure 2 shows the exploded view for a typical PTC heater. The polyester substrate is an industry standard. A first layer of highly conductive silver ink tracks is printed, typically with LOCTITE ECI 1010. Two main areas can be identified: the busbars and the fingers. On the sides, the busbars carry the current and must be designed according to the maximum current peak to avoid local heating. The finer silver fingers give the interdigit structure and allow having all PTC elements in parallel. Then, the PTC ink, from LOCTITE ECI 8000 series is printed on top of the silver tracks as numerous independent elements. On top of the conductive inks, an insulating layer is mandatory. This layer can either be a printable dielectric or a laminated foil. As PTC inks are living materials with a variable resistance, the influence of the insulating layer should be closely monitored. It should not deteriorate the ink properties, such as PTC ratio and long-term reliability.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk1MjAyMDY1NjE2LVNjcmVlbnNob3QgMjAyMy0wOS0yMCAwOTM3MDUucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 621px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Figure 2. Exploded view of 9 V demo heater showcasing the four main components. For this 9 V self-regulating demo heater, substrate is PET 125 µm, silver ink is LOCTITE ECI 1010, PTC ink is LOCTITE ECI 8001 with self- regulation in the 55-60 °C range, and translucent dielectric UV-curing ink is LOCTITE EDAG PF-455BC.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;2.2 &nbsp;Typical Voltage Sweep CharacterizationVoltage sweep curves are characteristic of one self-regulation in a specific condition. Taping a heater on different surfaces, like a metallic plate or a foam, will give different results. For characterization purposes, it is interesting to characterize the heater on an insulating foam to expose potential limitations like hotspots or printing inhomogeneities.Figure 3 shows the resistance and average surface temperature change with increasing applied voltage. Three typical zones of a self-regulating PTC heater are nicely exemplified.- Zone I,&nbsp;Heating-Up. Temperature increases with the increasing voltage thanks to the Joule effect until reaching the onset of self-regulation. - Zone II, Self-regulation. With the increasing voltage, resistance increases thanks to the volume expansion of the wax particles. - Zone III, Overruled PTC effect. The voltage is too high. The resistance cannot increase anymore. Temperature rises above the self-regulation, reaching the melting point of the wax. Melting of the wax brings the carbon particles closer and the resistance drop. Runaway may occur.Applying 5, 8, or 10 V to the heater will give the same self-regulation temperature based on this voltage sweep. This is due to the sharp PTC effect around 60 °C. The higher the PTC ratio, the larger the self-regulation plateau. High PTC ratio of Henkel inks enables rapid heating than to high initial power.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk1MjAyMTcwNTYyLVNjcmVlbnNob3QgMjAyMy0wOS0yMCAwOTM3NDgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 553px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Figure 3. Typical characterization curve of a self-regulating PTC heater. Temperature (grey curve) and resistance (red curve) are measured as a function of increasing voltage.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1699455002364-B-and-B-2024%28e-mail%29.jpg" style="width: 728px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Join us in Berlin and/or Boston and lets us RESHAPE the Future of Electronics, making it Additive, Sustainable, Hybrid, Wearable, and 3D - techblick.com<h3 id="isPasted">3 &nbsp;Heater Initial Guidelines</h3>&nbsp; &nbsp; 3.1 &nbsp;Requirement DefinitionTo start your self-regulating PTC heater project, you must have some crucial primary information:<ul><li>The driving voltage that will power your heater. It will be closely related to the spacing between two silver fingers and the resistance of one PTC unit. The higher the voltage, the higher should be the resistance of the PTC unit. It is possible either by increasing the distance between the silver fingers or increasing the sheet resistance of the PTC ink.</li><li>The initial heating power. To heat an object, you need a heat source with a higher temperature than the object and sufficient power to heat this object. If you have a low power hot heater, then the object will heat-up very slowly. Conversely, you may overrule the PTC effect if your heater is too powerful. Knowing the driving voltage and the initial heating power will allow the calculation of the resistance of the heater, 𝑅 = 𝑈2⁄𝑃. Voltage and resistance define the initial in-rush current 𝐼 = 𝑈⁄𝑅. Silver busbars must be designed according to the in-rush current.</li><li>The self-regulation temperature to choose the adapted PTC ink.</li><li>The heater dimension or available area.</li></ul>It will also be important to identify the heater integration and heat diffusion behavior early in the project as it strongly impacts the heater design and layout.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;3.2 &nbsp;Basic Design Rules and Calculations<hr><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk1MjAyMzg5OTU5LVNjcmVlbnNob3QgMjAyMy0wOS0xOSAxNDQ1NTIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 663px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><hr><h3>4 &nbsp;Accelerating Customer On-Boarding</h3>Developing self-regulating heaters requires a large range of expertise such as material, printing, circuit design, heat transfer, and integration. Following a methodology based on years of feedback enables a progressive learning curve and the identification of key parameters.&nbsp;Figure 4 gives an overview of this methodology. If specific expertise is needed, Henkel team can bring external partners to the table for the success of customer projects.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjk1MjAyMjU5MzAyLVNjcmVlbnNob3QgMjAyMy0wOS0yMCAwOTM4MzIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 641px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Figure 4. Overview of Henkel PTC ink on-boarding methodologyJoin us in Berlin and/or Boston and lets us RESHAPE the Future of Electronics, making it Additive, Sustainable, Hybrid, Wearable, and 3D - techblick.com<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1699455021093-B-and-B-2024%28small-LinkedIn+for-email%29.jpg" style="width: 724px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Join us in Berlin and/or Boston and lets us RESHAPE the Future of Electronics, making it Additive, Sustainable, Hybrid, Wearable, and 3D - techblick.com

Heaters are one of the most successful applications of printed electronics. At first they seem deceptively simple, yet their successful realization is in fact an art relying on the interplay of all the elements from the right material selection to right design, right printing, etc. Learn how here.

From Experiment to Final Print: Understanding Self-Regulation PTC Heaters

In this article you will learn more about liquid metals, a material that never ceases to amaze. It is water-like at room temperature but with metallic properties. Here you will see how researchers want to make them printable or turn them into conductive, stretchable, and washable fibers for e-textiles.  

Liquid metals: a material that never ceases to amaze

Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a caterpillar-like soft robot that can move forward, backward and dip under narrow spaces. The caterpillar-bot&rsquo;s movement is driven by a novel pattern of silver nanowires that use heat to control the way the robot bends, allowing users to steer the robot in either direction.&ldquo;A caterpillar&rsquo;s movement is controlled by local curvature of its body &ndash; its body curves differently when it pulls itself forward than it does when it pushes itself backward,&rdquo; says Yong Zhu, corresponding author of a paper on the work and the Andrew A. Adams Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NC&nbsp;State. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve drawn inspiration from the caterpillar&rsquo;s biomechanics to mimic that local curvature, and use nanowire heaters to control similar curvature and movement in the caterpillar-bot.&ldquo;Engineering soft robots that can move in two different directions is a significant challenge in soft robotics,&rdquo; Zhu says. &ldquo;The embedded nanowire heaters allow us to control the movement of the robot in two ways. We can control which sections of the robot bend by controlling the pattern of heating in the soft robot. And we can control the extent to which those sections bend by controlling the amount of heat being applied.&rdquo;The caterpillar-bot consists of two layers of polymer, which respond differently when exposed to heat. The bottom layer shrinks, or contracts, when exposed to heat. The top layer expands when exposed to heat. A pattern of silver nanowires is embedded in the expanding layer of polymer. The pattern includes multiple lead points where researchers can apply an electric current. The researchers can control which sections of the nanowire pattern heat up by applying an electric current to different lead points, and can control the amount of heat by applying more or less current.&ldquo;We demonstrated that the caterpillar-bot is capable of pulling itself forward and pushing itself backward,&rdquo; says Shuang Wu, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher at NC&nbsp;State. &ldquo;In general, the more current we applied, the faster it would move in either direction. However, we found that there was an optimal cycle, which gave the polymer time to cool &ndash; effectively allowing the &lsquo;muscle&rsquo; to relax before contracting again. If we tried to cycle the caterpillar-bot too quickly, the body did not have time to &lsquo;relax&rsquo; before contracting again, which impaired its movement.&rdquo;The researchers also demonstrated that the caterpillar-bot&rsquo;s movement could be controlled to the point where users were able steer it under a very low gap &ndash; similar to guiding the robot to slip under a door. In essence, the researchers could control both forward and backward motion as well as how high the robot bent upwards at any point in that process.&ldquo;This approach to driving motion in a soft robot is highly energy efficient, and we&rsquo;re interested in exploring ways that we could make this process even more efficient,&rdquo; Zhu says. &ldquo;Additional next steps include integrating this approach to soft robot locomotion with sensors or other technologies for use in various applications &ndash; such as search-and-rescue devices.&rdquo;The paper, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adf8014" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Caterpillar-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot with Distributed Programmable Thermal Actuation</a>,&rdquo; is published in the open-access journal&nbsp;Science Advances. The paper was co-authored by Jie Yin, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC&nbsp;State; Yaoye Hong, a Ph.D. student at NC&nbsp;State; and by Yao Zhao, a postdoctoral researcher at NC&nbsp;State.The work was done with support from the National Science Foundation, under grants 2122841, 2005374 and 2126072; and from the National Institutes of Health, under grant number 1R01HD108473.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a caterpillar-like soft robot that can move forward, backward and dip under narrow spaces. The caterpillar-bot’s movement is driven by a novel pattern of silver nanowires that use heat to control the way the robot bends, allowing users to steer the robot in either direction.

Robot Caterpillar Demonstrates New Approach to Locomotion for Soft Robotics

The first fully soft autonomous robot. Source: Harvard, Wyss Institute

New frontiers in robotics materials.

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Materials

<h2>Report introduction</h2>The discussion and focus of the field of robotics have often been closely tied to its manufacturing application origins. However, over the past decade, robotics has exploded to include devices that augment surgery, assist with elderly care, lead search and rescue missions and monitor waterways. The importance of robotics is not lost on the engineering community &mdash; robotics-related content is continually the most read on the Wevolver platform. With that focus in mind, The 2023 Robotics Manufacturing Report is to enable you to be up to date and understand the complexity and depth of robotics and to help you gain specific insights into the current status of robotics manufacturing.&nbsp;Over the next five chapters of the report, we will examine the core technologies that make up a robotics project and shed light on the trends and challenges in creating them.&nbsp;<h2 id="isPasted">Read the full report now.</h2>Each week we&#39;ll release a chapter of the report. However, if you can&#39;t wait that long, you can download the full report now by entering your email address below.Protolabs is also sending out printed versions of the e-book if you opt-in for their relevant updates in the register form below.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgyNDkyMjQ5ODYxLUdlbmVyYWwgbWlkLW5ld3NsZXR0ZXIgYmFubmVycyAoMSkucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><iframe width="540" height="335" src="https://c8056756.sibforms.com/serve/MUIEAKfs3i39sLs9xJIsvIJPYFOuDFqQOxVTkHZZw5HRmGG58TyrV1QSi0EFB--IESBvdQF0KchA5utRTVE7YN_Aye3xR9ZRzchjsg_yPe-7V1sk0w5UZszhxRh5e_OxIO_QMs55fzswRZCr4lJynzB1iUXsaEbQIkTJ8nqKdanrB07qbmluVbnElQ_85hzXGp09ERVlxVHNAdCq" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" allowfullscreen="" style="display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;max-width: 100%;" class="fr-draggable" data-gtm-yt-inspected-8="true" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7="true">&nbsp;</iframe><h3>Understanding new materials</h3>One of the most exciting areas of technological advancement is in materials. As the survey linked to this report found, many consider soft robotics an area with great potential. One early example of soft robotics are soft grippers, which are more flexible and can grip a wider variety of items. This makes robots able to perform even more logistic tasks. They are also able to handle delicate and perishable items. This opens up interesting opportunities in agriculture, where the interest in automation is growing fast.Soft robotics presents new problems that need to be addressed. Materials and design need to be carefully evaluated. When developing grippers for a particular application it&rsquo;s important to consider that these materials are different from other commonly used materials. This makes it especially important to know the manufacturing process used, and to be aware of their opportunities and challenges. It&rsquo;s also important to approach this in an iterative way as this explores new context where robotics have not been used before. Here the ability to make small numbers of parts in many different soft materials is key. This makes iterations faster and shortens the development time. As this is new and materials are sometimes challenging, special care has to be taken when working with suppliers.&nbsp;<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JlaszxIPfVY?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-8="true" id="294035563" title="CSAIL Robotic Arm Slithers Like A Snake Through Pipes" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7="true">&nbsp;</iframe><h3>Iterative design cycles</h3>Developing and manufacturing robots for these emerging markets presents new challenges and requires creative thinking. As with the soft robots mentioned previously, an iterative approach with a close eye on manufacturability is necessary here. A key factor for consideration is that the users will be much more diverse as will the situations the robots will be used in. The low-cost factor drives the need for more focus on keeping up with the latest manufacturing methods and to design with them in mind. Here, good support from suppliers and partners are essential as they know their methods best.&nbsp;In other parts of robotics, we also see tremendous growth in advanced systems. Images, video and other data streams that can be considered complex can now be processed reliably. New legged platforms can bring the technology out in complex production settings that are not constructed with robotics in mind. IoT devices can monitor systems in new ways, and because they are small and cheap, they can be used in large numbers.&nbsp;More advanced robotics systems also allow for more remote working in roles that traditionally have been onsite. This reduces staff cost and provides existing staff with a better work environment. Improvements in resource utilisation is also an opportunity as problems can be addressed by accessing the robot remotely, reducing response time and increasing up time. It can also enable cooperation between humans and robots. The robot can do the 80% that is relatively easy to automate. When necessary, it calls on the human to do the remaining 20% that is hard or impossible to automate, or to fix any problems.&nbsp;<h3>Plug and play democratises development</h3>The introduction of ecosystems of products that work together around common standards will be incredibly significant in the long term, as it was when the same thing was introduced to computer peripherals. Nowadays everyone expects that whatever they buy and plug in to their computer will just work. Plug and play has indeed fulfilled its destiny. The same thing is about to happen in robotics, automation, and IoT. The trend is moving towards a time when a task can be automated with a solution that &quot;just plugs into&quot; your operation. Even if this is achievable, automating complex production will always be much more complicated.&nbsp;Product ecosystems will be quite practical in many production and logistics settings. This growing ecosystem of software and hardware that all work together is also a key factor in bringing new technologies to market much quicker. They make it surprisingly easy to assemble solutions. These trends together make robotics available, practical, and affordable.On the financial side of things, we are not only seeing prices coming down, but also much more flexible ways of paying. With today&#39;s more intelligent systems, you can pay per task that the robot performs for you. This and other new robotics as a service (RaaS) implementations drastically lower the barriers to entry. This makes it possible to try robotics in more contexts and see where a good fit can be found.So, to sum up, this report will give you key knowledge about the current state of robotics, covering opportunities in new materials, and innovative ways of designing and manufacturing robots. Trends that are expected to be significant are also discussed in this report. Examples of the wide variety of new systems that are currently being developed are also included.This introductory chapter was written by <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/per.sjoborg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Per Sj&ouml;borg</a>.<hr><h1 id="isPasted">The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report</h1><h3>Introduction chapter: The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report</h3><h3 id="isPasted"><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-2023-manufacturing-robotics-report-materials" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Materials</a></h3><h3 id="isPasted"><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-2023-manufacturing-robotics-report-robotic-projects-and-tech-specs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Robotic Projects and Tech Specs</a></h3><h3 id="isPasted"><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-2023-manufacturing-robotics-report-hardware" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Hardware</a></h3><h3 id="isPasted"><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-2023-manufacturing-robotics-report-manufacturing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Manufacturing</a></h3><hr><h2>About the sponsor: Protolabs</h2><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/protolabs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Protolabs</a>&nbsp;is the world&rsquo;s fastest digital manufacturing source for custom prototypes and low-volume production parts. We use advanced injection moulding, CNC machining and 3D printing technologies to produce parts within days. The result is an unprecedented speed-to-market value for product designers and engineers worldwide.&nbsp;Our end-to-end digital thread enables faster and more efficient product development in order to produce parts in as fast as 1 day as well as eliminating most of the time-consuming and expensive skilled labour that is conventionally required. With manufacturing facilities operating across Europe, we can balance production across multiple sites and produce parts where they are needed.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5MzAwNzQ4MTkwLXByb3RvbGFicy1sb2dvLTU3MHgzMDgtcmVtb3ZlYmctcHJldmlldy5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

An engineer's guide to understanding the state of the art in hardware, materials, and the future of robotics manufacturing.

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report

The newest development in softbotics will have a transformative impact on robotics, electronics, and medicine.&nbsp;<a href="https://engineering.cmu.edu/directory/bios/majidi-carmel.html" target="_blank">Carmel Majidi</a> has engineered a soft material with metal-like conductivity and self-healing properties that, for the first time, can support power-hungry devices.&ldquo;Softbotics is about seamlessly integrating robotics into everyday life, putting humans at the center,&rdquo; explained Majidi, a professor of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.meche.engineering.cmu.edu/index.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">mechanical engineeringOpens in new window</a>.Engineers work to integrate robots into our everyday lives with the hope of improving our mobility, health, and well-being. For example, patients might one day recover from surgery at home thanks to a wearable robot monitoring aid. To integrate robots seamlessly, they need to be able to move with us, withstand damage, and have electrical functionality without being encased in a hard structure.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E4nBsJGkK7Y?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> Majidi&rsquo;s material, a liquid metal filled organogel composite with high electrical conductivity, low stiffness, high stretchability, and self-healing properties, is foundational to bringing these softbotics to life.The team introduced the material in three applications: a damage resistant snail-inspired robot, a modular circuit for powering a toy car, and a reconfigurable bioelectrode for measuring muscle activity on different locations of the body.The fully untethered snail robot used the self-healing conductive material on its soft exterior, which was embedded with a battery and electric motor to control motion. During the demonstration, the team severed the conductive material and watched as its speed dropped by more than 50%. Because of its self-healing properties, when the material was manually reconnected, the robot restored its electrical connection and recovered 68% of its original speed.&ldquo;This is the first soft material that can maintain a high enough electrical conductivity to support digital electronics and power-hungry devices,&rdquo; said Majidi. &ldquo;We have demonstrated that you can actually power motors with it.&rdquo;<blockquote>This is the first soft material that can support power hungry devices. We can power motors with it.<cite>Carmel Majidi<cite style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400;">,&nbsp;</cite>Professor, Mechanical Engineering</cite></blockquote>The material can also act as a modular building block for reconfigurable circuits.&ldquo;In practice there will be cases where you want to reuse and recycle these gel-like electronics into different configurations, and our toy car demonstration shows that you can do that,&rdquo; explained Majidi.Initially, one piece of gel connected the toy car to a motor. When the team split that gel into three sections and connected one section to a roof-mounted LED, they were able to restore the car&rsquo;s connection to the motor using the two remaining sections.Lastly, the team demonstrated the material&rsquo;s ability to be reconfigured to obtain electromyography (EMG) readings from different locations on the body. Because of its modular design, the organogel can be refitted to measure hand activity on the anterior muscles of the forearm and to the back of the leg to measure calf activity. This opens doors to tissue-electronic interfaces like EMGs and EKGs using soft, reusable materials.&ldquo;Instead of being wired up with biomonitoring electrodes connecting you to biomeasurement hardware mounted on a cart, our gel can be used as a bioelectrode that directly interfaces with body-mounted electronics that can collect information and transmit it wirelessly,&rdquo; Majidi explained.Moving forward, Majidi hopes to couple this work on artificial nervous tissue with his research on artificial muscle to build robots made entirely of soft, gel-like materials.&ldquo;It would be interesting to see soft-bodied robots used for monitoring hard to reach places&ndash;whether that be a snail that could monitor water quality, or a slug that could crawl around our houses looking for mold.&rdquo;

Introducing the first soft material that can maintain a high enough electrical conductivity to support power hungry devices.

Engineering breakthrough in softbotics

Soft robotics is a rapidly advancing field of robotics that involves the design and development of robots made from flexible and deformable materials. These robots, unlike their traditional rigid counterparts, have the ability to adapt to their environment, navigate complex and dynamic spaces, and interact safely with humans. Soft robots can be made from materials such as silicone, rubber, and other flexible polymers, and they can be made to resemble a wide range of shapes and structures.&nbsp;In this article, we list out and explain in detail the different types of actuators used in soft robotics, including pneumatic, hydraulic, shape memory alloys, electro-active polymers, and magnetic fields. We also explore some applications of soft robotics enabled by them.<h1 dir="ltr">Introduction</h1>Since the early days of robotics, the focus has been on rigid and inflexible machines capable of performing specific tasks with high speed, high accuracy, and high repeatability. However, the limitations of traditional robotics eventually became apparent in specific fields, such as medicine, manufacturing, and disaster response, where safety and flexibility were critical.Further research in the domain led to the creation of soft grippers and other soft components that could let the robots interact with their environment in a much better way.&nbsp;With the rise in popularity of biomimetics, the study of nature that inspires the design and development of new technologies, researchers have increasingly drawn inspiration from the behavior of biological entities to come up with creative ideas for the development of new and innovative robotic systems.Suggested reading: <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/biomimetics-the-science-of-robo-animals" target="_blank">Biomimetics: The Science of Robo-Animals</a>Advancements in material science and fabrication techniques, such as 3D printing, enabled the development of more complex soft robots that could be applied in various areas like biomedical devices, wearables, and disaster response.[1]In the early 2010s, Prof. George Whitesides from <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/harvard.university" target="_blank">Harvard University</a> coined the term &ldquo;soft robotics&rdquo;.[2] IEEE Robotics and Automation Society established a new technical committee for soft robotics to promote research in the domain, and since then, the field has continued to evolve.[3]<h1 dir="ltr">Types of Actuators Powering Soft Robots</h1>Soft robots need power sources to drive the actuation of their moving parts. Actuation is the process of generating movement in a robot, and it is necessary for soft robots to be able to move and interact with their environment. Here are the different types of actuators powering soft robotics:<h2 dir="ltr">Pneumatic and Hydraulic actuators</h2>Just as electric motors require a power source, such as a battery or an external power supply, to drive the robot&#39;s movement, hydraulic and pneumatic systems require a source of pressurized fluid, such as air or water.Pneumatic actuators use compressed air to generate force and motion. They are often made of flexible materials such as rubber or silicone and can be shaped to fit a variety of applications. Pneumatic artificial muscle made of a flexible tube can expand when pressurized and produce a contracting force when depressurized.Hydraulic actuators, on the other hand, use a liquid such as water or oil to generate force. They can produce higher forces than pneumatic actuators and are often used in industrial automation applications. In soft robotics, hydraulic actuators are made of flexible materials.While pneumatic actuators are lightweight and easy to control, they may not be as powerful as hydraulic actuators to drive a soft robot. Hydraulic actuators generate more force but require additional components, such as pumps and reservoirs, to function, which can add significant complexity to the design.&nbsp;<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_4BTGgJjHog?&ab_channel=NASALangleyResearchCenter&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> Pneumatic and Hydraulic actuators may also incorporate sensors and feedback mechanisms to enable precise control. Ultimately, the choice of the actuator depends on the specific requirements of the soft robot being developed.<h2 dir="ltr">Shape-memory alloys</h2>Shape-memory alloys (SMA) are unique actuators that change shape when exposed to heat. This method also requires a power source, such as a battery or an external power supply, to generate the electric current for heating up the alloy.SMAs can be bent or deformed into a particular shape, and when they are heated, they will return to their original shape, generating a mechanical force. This property makes them useful for soft robotic systems that require high force and precision, such as those used in biomedical devices and prosthetics.Some commonly used SMAs are Nitinol (Nickel-Titanium alloy), Copper-Aluminum-Nickel alloys, Iron-Manganese-Silicon alloys, Copper-zinc-aluminum alloys, etc. Overall, SMAs have a number of useful properties, including less weight, flexibility, and the ability to generate high forces, making them a promising power source for developing soft robotic devices.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lbJHa9QL0D8?&ab_channel=HarrisonYoung&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><h2 dir="ltr">Electro-active polymer actuators</h2>Electro-active polymer (EAP) actuators use an applied electric field to generate mechanical deformation. EAPs are a promising technology for use in soft robotics, as they offer several advantages over other types of actuators.The key advantages of EAP actuators are their softness and flexibility. EAPs can be fabricated into a variety of shapes and sizes, making them well-suited for use in soft robots. Additionally, EAPs have the potential to be more lightweight and energy-efficient than traditional actuators, which can be crucial in applications where weight and power consumption are critical.There are several types of EAP actuators, including dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs), and conductive polymers. Each of these types of EAP actuators works by a different mechanism, but all of them involve the use of an applied electric field to generate mechanical deformation.DEAs, for example, are made of a thin layer of a soft, electrically insulating polymer sandwiched between two layers of compliant electrodes. When an electric field is applied to the electrodes, it causes the polymer to deform, generating a change in shape or volume. This deformation can be used to drive the movement of a soft robot.IPMCs are made of a thin layer of an ion-containing polymer sandwiched between two layers of metal electrodes. When an electric field is applied, the ions in the polymer move towards one of the electrodes, causing the polymer to bend. This bending can be used to generate movement in a soft robot.Conductive polymers are a third type of EAP actuator that use the conductivity of the polymer to generate mechanical deformation. When an electric field is applied to a conductive polymer, it causes the polymer to expand or contract, depending on the strength and the direction of the field. This deformation can be used to drive the movement of a soft robot.EAP actuators offer a promising avenue for actuation in soft robotics; however, there are still several challenges that need to be addressed to fully realize their potential in soft robotics, such as improving their durability and scalability.<h2 dir="ltr">Magnetic actuators</h2>Magnetic actuators, as the name suggests, are actuators that use magnetic fields to generate movement. They consist of a magnet embedded in a flexible, elastomeric material. When a magnetic field is applied to the magnet, it causes the elastomer to deform, which drives the movement of a soft robot.One of the advantages of magnetic actuators is that they are relatively simple and inexpensive to fabricate. They also offer a high degree of precision and control, which can be important in certain applications.In soft gripper applications, magnetic actuators are used to generate the force needed to grasp and manipulate objects. By adjusting the strength and direction of the magnetic field, the grip force of the gripper can be finely tuned to the requirements of the task. In soft manipulator applications, magnetic actuators are used to drive the movement of the manipulator, allowing it to perform tasks such as grasping and releasing objects. In sensor applications, magnetic actuators are used as the sensing element, allowing the robot to detect and respond to changes in its environment.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OXRmxuB60DQ?&ab_channel=naturevideo&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> One of the challenges of using magnetic actuators in soft robotics is the need for a strong and consistent magnetic field, which can be difficult to achieve. Additionally, the design of the magnetic actuator can affect its performance, and optimizing the design can require a significant amount of time and resources.<h1 dir="ltr">Applications of Soft Robots</h1>Soft robotics is an emerging field that has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries. Here are some of the applications of soft robotics:<ul><li dir="ltr">Healthcare: Soft robots can potentially transform healthcare by enabling new forms of minimally invasive surgeries. The technology can also be used to build exosuits that help people with disabilities regain mobility. When used for making prosthetics, soft components can provide a more natural and comfortable fit for amputees.</li><li dir="ltr">Manufacturing:&nbsp;Soft robots are well-suited for manufacturing applications that require delicate handling of objects. They can also be used in assembly line operations to handle fragile components or to package products more efficiently and gently.</li><li dir="ltr">Survey and exploration: Soft robots can make their way through challenging environments such as underground mines, deep-sea environments, and space. Their softness and flexibility enables them to adapt to different obstacles and <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/connectivity-and-sensing-technologies-proven-in-the-harshest-environments" target="_blank">harsh environments</a>.</li><li dir="ltr">Agriculture: Soft robots can be used in agriculture to perform tasks such as planting, harvesting, and weeding. They can navigate through the fields without damaging crops. When used in conjunction with sensors and machine learning algorithms, these robots can prove to be a great help.</li><li dir="ltr">Search and Rescue: Soft robots can be used in search and rescue operations to locate and extract people from collapsed buildings or search for survivors in areas inaccessible to traditional search and rescue equipment.</li><li dir="ltr">Entertainment:&nbsp;Soft robots can be used in theme parks, animatronics, and other interactive means of entertainment to provide a more lifelike and engaging experience for users. They can also be possibly used to create new forms of entertainment.</li><li dir="ltr">Education:&nbsp;Soft robots can also be used in educational settings to teach students about robotics and engineering. The teachers can demonstrate concepts such as motion, force, and control and inspire students to pursue careers in science and technology.</li></ul>These are just a few of the many applications of soft robotics. As research in this field continues to advance, we will likely see many new and exciting applications in the future.<h1 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h1>The development of advanced and sustainable power sources is key to unlocking the full potential of soft robotics and enabling these innovative machines to change the way robots interact with their environments.&nbsp;<h1 dir="ltr">About the sponsor: Mouser Electronics</h1>Mouser Electronics is a worldwide leading authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components for over 1,200 manufacturer brands. They specialize in the rapid introduction of new products and technologies for design engineers and buyers. Their extensive product offering includes semiconductors, interconnects, passives, and electromechanical components.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1678247690451-1678247690451.png" width="720" height="91" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><h1 dir="ltr">References</h1>[1] Wallin, T.J., Pikul, J. &amp; Shepherd, R.F. 3D printing of soft robotic systems. Nat Rev Mater 3, 84&ndash;100 (2018). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-018-0002-2" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-018-0002-2</a>[2] Carl Vause, &lsquo;This robot has soft hands. It could be the future of sustainable production&rsquo;, World Economic Forum, 21 June 2018, [Online], Available from: &nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/robot-soft-hands-sustainable-production-soft-robotics/" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/robot-soft-hands-sustainable-production-soft-robotics/</a>[3] IEEE Technical Committee for Soft Robotics, [Online], Available from <a href="https://www.ieee-ras.org/soft-robotics" target="_blank">https://www.ieee-ras.org/soft-robotics</a>

As the field of soft robotics continues to evolve, one of the most critical challenges researchers face is developing reliable and efficient power sources to drive these pliable machines.

Powering Soft Robotics: A Deeper Look at Soft Robotics Actuators

In this episode, we talk about a novel approach to multi-material 3D printing that&rsquo;ll enable the production of soft components capable of contracting in a similar fashion to muscles. &nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/235efdef-bd4f-4139-b93c-8f055c3332e8?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><hr>&nbsp;EPISODE NOTES(2:22) - <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/multimaterial-3d-printing-with-a-twist" target="_blank">Multi-material 3D printing with a twist</a>This episode was brought to you by Mouser, our favorite place to get electronics parts for any project, whether it be a hobby at home or a prototype for work. Click <a href="https://resources.mouser.com/explore-all/selecting-a-3d-medical-printing-method" target="_blank">HERE</a> to read more about the various additive manufacturing approaches for medical applications that we discussed in this episode.<hr>As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.To learn more about this show, please visit our <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published. Be sure to give us a follow and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!

In this episode, we talk about a novel approach to multi-material 3D printing that’ll enable the production of soft components capable of contracting in a similar fashion to muscles. 

Podcast: Biomimicry From The Ground Up Via Multi-material 3D Printing

Some 30,000 people in the U.S. are affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig&rsquo;s disease, a neurodegenerative condition that damages cells in the brain and spinal cord necessary for movement.&nbsp;Now, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://seas.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences</a> (SEAS) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has developed a soft robotic wearable capable of significantly assisting upper arm and shoulder movement in people with ALS.&ldquo;This study gives us hope that soft robotic wearable technology might help us develop new devices capable of restoring functional limb abilities in people with ALS and other diseases that rob patients of their mobility,&rdquo; says Conor Walsh, senior author on Science Translational Medicine paper reporting the team&rsquo;s work. Walsh is the Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at SEAS where he leads the Harvard Biodesign Lab.The assistive prototype is soft, fabric-based, and powered cordlessly by a battery.&ldquo;This technology is quite simple in its essence,&rdquo; says Tommaso Proietti, the paper&rsquo;s first author and a former postdoctoral research fellow in Walsh&rsquo;s lab, where the wearable was designed and built. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s basically a shirt with some inflatable, balloon-like actuators under the armpit. The pressurized balloon helps the wearer combat gravity to move their upper arm and shoulder.&rdquo;To assist patients with ALS, the team developed a sensor system that detects residual movement of the arm and calibrates the appropriate pressurization of the balloon actuator to move the person&rsquo;s arm smoothly and naturally. The researchers recruited ten people living with ALS to evaluate how well the device might extend or restore their movement and quality of life.The team found that the soft robotic wearable &ndash; after a 30-second calibration process to detect each wearer&rsquo;s unique level of mobility and strength &ndash; improved study participants&rsquo; range of motion, reduced muscle fatigue, and increased performance of tasks like holding or reaching for objects. It took participants less than 15 minutes to learn how to use the device.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1675688754070-10.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Balloon actuators attached to the wearable move the person&rsquo;s arm smoothly and naturally. (Photo credit: Walsh Lab, Harvard SEAS)&nbsp;&ldquo;These systems are also very safe, intrinsically, because they&rsquo;re made of fabric and inflatable balloons,&rdquo; Proietti says. &ldquo;As opposed to traditional rigid robots, when a soft robot fails it means the balloons simply don&rsquo;t inflate anymore. But the wearer is at no risk of injury from the robot.&rdquo;Walsh says the soft wearable is light on the body, feeling just like clothing to the wearer. &ldquo;Our vision is that these robots should function like apparel and be comfortable to wear for long periods of time,&rdquo; he says.His team is collaborating with neurologist David Lin, director of MGH&rsquo;s Neurorecovery Clinic, on rehabilitative applications for patients who have suffered a stroke. The team also sees wider applications of the technology including for those with spinal cord injuries or muscular dystrophy.&ldquo;As we work to develop new disease-modifying treatments that will prolong life expectancy, it is imperative to also develop tools that can improve patients&rsquo; independence with everyday activities,&rdquo; says Sabrina Paganoni, one of the paper&rsquo;s co-authors, who is a physician-scientist at MGH&rsquo;s Healey &amp; AMG Center for ALS and associate professor at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital/Harvard Medical School.The current prototype developed for ALS was only capable of functioning on study participants who still had some residual movements in their shoulder area. ALS, however, typically progresses rapidly within two to five years, rendering patients unable to move &ndash; and eventually unable to speak or swallow. In partnership with MGH neurologist Leigh Hochberg, principal investigator of the BrainGate Neural Interface System, the team is exploring potential versions of assistive wearables whose movements could be controlled by signals in the brain. Such a device, they hope, might someday aid movement in patients who no longer have any residual muscle activity.Feedback from the ALS study participants was inspiring, moving, and motivating, Proietti says.&ldquo;Looking into people&rsquo;s eyes as they performed tasks and experienced movement using the wearable, hearing their feedback that they were overjoyed to suddenly be moving their arm in ways they hadn&rsquo;t been able to in years, it was a very bittersweet feeling.&rdquo;The team is eager for this technology to start improving people&rsquo;s lives, but they caution that they are still in the research phase, several years away from introducing a commercial product.&ldquo;Soft robotic wearables are an important advancement on the path to truly restored function for people with ALS. We are grateful to all people living with ALS who participated in this study: it&rsquo;s only through their generous efforts that we can make progress and develop new technologies,&rdquo; Paganoni says.<a href="https://otd.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard&rsquo;s Office of Technology Development&nbsp;</a>has protected the intellectual property arising from this study and is exploring commercialization opportunities.The&nbsp;work was enabled by the&nbsp;Cullen Education and Research Fund (CERF) Medical Engineering Prize for ALS Research,&nbsp;<a href="https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2022/02/investigators-receive-cullen-education-and-research-fund-cerf-medical-engineering" target="_blank">awarded</a> to team members in 2022.Additional authors include Ciaran O&#39;Neill, Lucas Gerez, Tazzy Cole, Sarah Mendelowitz, Kristin Nuckols, and Cameron Hohimer.

This soft robotic wearable is capable of significantly assisting upper arm and shoulder movement in people with ALS. (Photo credit: Walsh Lab, Harvard SEAS)

Proof-of-concept device is comfortable, safe, easy to use

Soft robotic wearable restores arm function for people with ALS

This article was discussed in our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte&source=gmail&ust=1672821999265000&usg=AOvVaw3lLKdHdEN0YvCEsaHI7hx9" href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/235efdef-bd4f-4139-b93c-8f055c3332e8?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-gtm-yt-inspected-9="true" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> The full article will continue below.<hr>Materials in nature are rarely straight. In our bodies, proteins assemble into helical filaments which allow our muscles to contract. Plants change shape because cellulose fibers are arranged helically within their cell walls.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lHsomne-ny8?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-9="true" id="310001047" title="Multimaterial 3D printing with a twist"></iframe> Scientists that seek to mimic the helical structures &nbsp;that constitute biological systems must create new tools that can precisely pattern different materials with programmable local composition, architecture, and properties.Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have developed a rotational multimaterial 3D printing method for creating helical filaments. Using this new approach, the team designed and fabricated artificial muscles and springy lattices for use in soft robotics and structural applications.The team&rsquo;s research is published in Nature.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc0NDcxNDUxNTU0LTIwMjFfTk1MX0ZpZ3VyZTFjX2VkaXRfVjJfc2NyZWVuc2hvdF9jcm9wX2Zvcl9QcmVzcy5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The inks are then fed through a complex nozzle that allows multiple materials to be printed simultaneously. As the nozzle rotates and translates, the extruded inks form a filament with embedded helical features&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc0NDcxNDY1NDE3LTZaM0E1MjI4X2Nyb3BfZm9yX1ByZXNzX3NtYWxsXzIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The printhead consists of four ink cartridges, each of which can contain different materials. The inks are then fed through a complex nozzle that allows multiple materials to be printed simultaneously.&nbsp;&ldquo;Our additive manufacturing platform opens new avenues to generating multifunctional architected matter in bio-inspired motifs,&rdquo; said&nbsp;<a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="8a574fa0-0800-4fad-a074-7fd019aabb24" href="https://seas.harvard.edu/person/jennifer-lewis" target="_blank">Jennifer Lewis</a>, the Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at SEAS and senior author of the study.Lewis is also a Core Faculty member of the Wyss Institute.Their new printhead consists of four ink cartridges, each of which can contain different materials. The inks are then fed through a complex nozzle that allows multiple materials to be printed simultaneously. As the nozzle rotates and translates, the extruded inks form a filament with embedded helical features.&ldquo;Rotational multimaterial printing allows us to generate functional helical filaments and structural lattices with precisely controlled architecture and, ultimately, performance,&rdquo; said Natalie Larson, a postdoctoral fellow at SEAS and first author of the study.In collaboration with&nbsp;<a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="b225533d-2278-457d-bf51-21b768b227fc" href="https://seas.harvard.edu/person/david-clarke" target="_blank">David Clarke</a>, the Extended Tarr Family Professor of Materials, the team printed artificial muscles in the form of helical dielectric elastomer actuator filaments that can contract under an applied voltage. The conductive electrodes form intertwining helices encapsulated in a soft elastomer matrix. &nbsp;By tuning how tightly those helical electrodes are coiled, one can program the contractile response of these actuators.The team also designed structural lattices with varying stiffness by embedding stiff helical springs within a soft, compliant matrix &mdash; like metal springs in a soft mattress. The overall stiffness of the material can be tuned by tuning the tightness of the springs inside the matrix. These tunable helical structures could be used to make joints or hinges in soft robotic systems.The printhead consists of four ink cartridges, each of which can contain different materials. The inks are then fed through a complex nozzle that allows multiple materials to be printed simultaneously.Next, the team aims to harness the capabilities of this novel 3D printing method to create even more complex structures. &nbsp;&ldquo;By designing and building nozzles with more extreme internal features, the resolution, complexity, and performance of these hierarchical bioinspired structures could be further enhanced,&rdquo; said Larson.The research was co-authored by Jochen Mueller, Alex Chortos, and Zoey Davidson at SEAS. It was supported by the National Science Foundation under MRSEC (DMR- 2011754), NSF Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF-15-33985), the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship Program, sponsored by the Basic Research Office for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering through the Office of Naval Research Grant N00014- 21-1-2958, and the GETTYLAB.

Rotational multimaterial printing of helical filaments for soft robotics and structural composites

Multimaterial 3D printing with a twist

Inspired by the biomechanics of the manta ray, researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an energy-efficient soft robot that can swim more than four times faster than previous swimming soft robots. The robots are called &ldquo;butterfly bots,&rdquo; because their swimming motion resembles the way a person&rsquo;s arms move when they are swimming the butterfly stroke.&ldquo;To date, swimming soft robots have not been able to swim faster than one body length per second, but marine animals &ndash; such as manta rays &ndash; are able to swim much faster, and much more efficiently,&rdquo; says Jie Yin, corresponding author of a paper on the work and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC&nbsp;State. &ldquo;We wanted to draw on the biomechanics of these animals to see if we could develop faster, more energy-efficient soft robots. The prototypes we&rsquo;ve developed work exceptionally well.&rdquo;The researchers developed two types of butterfly bots. One was built specifically for speed, and was able to reach average speeds of 3.74 body lengths per second. A second was designed to be highly maneuverable, capable of making sharp turns to the right or left. This maneuverable prototype was able to reach speeds of 1.7 body lengths per second.&ldquo;Researchers who study aerodynamics and biomechanics use something called a Strouhal number to assess the energy efficiency of flying and swimming animals,&rdquo; says Yinding Chi, first author of the paper and a recent Ph.D. graduate of NC&nbsp;State. &ldquo;Peak propulsive efficiency occurs when an animal swims or flies with a Strouhal number of between 0.2 and 0.4. Both of our butterfly bots had Strouhal numbers in this range.&rdquo;The butterfly bots derive their swimming power from their wings, which are &ldquo;bistable,&rdquo; meaning the wings have two stable states. The wing is similar to a snap hair clip. A hair clip is stable until you apply a certain amount of energy (by bending it). When the amount of energy reaches critical point, the hair clip snaps into a different shape &ndash; which is also stable. Video of the butterfly bots can be found at&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/Pi-2pPDWC1w" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/Pi-2pPDWC1w</a>.In the butterfly bots, the hair clip-inspired bistable wings are attached to a soft, silicone body. Users control the switch between the two stable states in the wings by pumping air into chambers inside the soft body. As those chambers inflate and deflate, the body bends up and down &ndash; forcing the wings to snap back and forth with it.&ldquo;Most previous attempts to develop flapping robots have focused on using motors to provide power directly to the wings,&rdquo; Yin says. &ldquo;Our approach uses bistable wings that are passively driven by moving the central body. This is an important distinction, because it allows for a simplified design, which lowers the weight.&rdquo;The faster butterfly bot has only one &ldquo;drive unit&rdquo; &ndash; the soft body &ndash; which controls both of its wings. This makes it very fast, but difficult to turn left or right. The maneuverable butterfly bot essentially has two drive units, which are connected side by side. This design allows users to manipulate the wings on both sides, or to &ldquo;flap&rdquo; only one wing, which is what enables it to make sharp turns.&ldquo;This work is an exciting proof of concept, but it has limitations,&rdquo; Yin says. &ldquo;Most obviously, the current prototypes are tethered by slender tubing, which is what we use to pump air into the central bodies. We&rsquo;re currently working to develop an untethered, autonomous version.&rdquo;The paper, &ldquo;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.add3788" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Snapping for high-speed and high-efficient, butterfly stroke-like soft swimmer</a>,&rdquo; is published in the open-access journal Science Advances. The paper was co-authored by Yaoye Hong, a Ph.D. student at NC State; and by Yao Zhao and Yanbin Li, who are postdoctoral researchers at NC State. The work was done with support from the National Science Foundation under grants CMMI-2005374 and CMMI-2126072.<hr>Note to Editors: The study abstract follows.&ldquo;Snapping for high-speed and high-efficient, butterfly stroke-like soft swimmer&rdquo;Authors: Yinding Chi, Yaoye Hong, Yao Zhao, Yanbin Li and Jie Yin, North Carolina State UniversityPublished: Nov. 18,&nbsp;Science AdvancesDOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add3788

Inspired by the biomechanics of the manta ray, researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an energy-efficient soft robot that can swim more than four times faster than previous swimming soft robots. 

'Butterfly Bot' is Fastest Swimming Soft Robot Yet

Researchers have developed a hackable and multi-functional 3D printer for soft materials that is affordable and open design. The technology has the potential to unlock further innovation in diverse fields, such as tissue engineering, soft robotics, food, and eco-friendly material processing &ndash; aiding the creation of unprecedented designs.<blockquote>The open design, affordability, improved customisability and all-in-one functionalities of &#39;Printer.HM&#39; will benefit the do-it-yourself research community, providing a viable alternative to existing commercial printers.<cite>Dr Iek Man Lei</cite></blockquote>&lsquo;Printer.HM&rsquo;, as it is known, is a highly customisable extrusion-based 3D printer to rival commercial 3D bioprinters. It is capable of accepting different geometry inputs &ndash; including computer-aided design (CAD) models, coordinates, equations, and pictures &ndash; to create prints of distinct characteristics. The development of this multi-printhead system &ndash; built on a hackable robotic arm and offering multi-functionalities in one platform via heating and ultraviolet (UV) modules &ndash; is the brainchild of researchers from the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nanoscience.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank">The Nanoscience Centre</a>, University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the Universities of Macau and Oxford.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16008-6" target="_blank">Details</a> of their affordable printing approach are reported in the journal&nbsp;Scientific Reports.In addition to offering excellent print compatibility with a wide variety of liquidous and soft materials, a multitude of operations can be performed, including:<ul><li>Liquid dispensing</li><li>Multi-material printing</li><li>Printing with variable speed</li><li>Embedded printing (creating freeform and overhanging structures)</li><li>Non-planar printing</li><li>Pick-and-place application.&nbsp;</li></ul>With the optional heating and UV modules, the printability of thermal-responsive and photo-polymerisable hydrogels can be tuned, and these are of use in a wide range of biomedical applications including drug delivery, tissue engineering and wound healing.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VI0K63yUBVM?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 768px; height: 430px;"></iframe>Printer.HM offers its user the design freedom and ability to customise the print path to create prints of distinct characteristics. These are: simple patterns (coordinates); one stroke printing (equations); 3D designs (G-code); and customisable 2D motifs (pictures), the latter can easily convert hand-drawn sketches into prints without the need to create a CAD model. Print path customisability is especially useful for soft robotics applications, as demonstrated by the researchers&rsquo; creation of a soft morphing system made of a pH-responsive hydrogel. The researchers used Printer.HM to create a 2D sketch of a flower motif that then swelled and morphed into a 3D flower shape within four minutes. And this is just the beginning; because the control programme is entirely hackable, users can reconfigure the setup and expand its functionalities for 3D printed designs never achieved before. The researchers also demonstrated the potential of Printer.HM to generate sophisticated tissue anatomy, by successfully creating a model of the respiratory system with lungs and trachea, made of alginate inks, and printed inside a support bath.Dr Iek Man Lei,&nbsp;first author and an Assistant Professor at the University of Macau, is&nbsp;a former PhD student from the&nbsp;<a href="https://biointerface.eng.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Biointerface Research Group</a> at Cambridge.&nbsp;Dr Lei said: &ldquo;The versatile functionalities of Printer.HM, together with its open design and affordability (a total cost of between &pound;900 and &pound;1,900), make it a credible option for the future of 3D printing innovation using soft, biological and sustainable material architectures. The modular design allows the research community to expand the functionalities of Printer.HM further, opening up the possibility of endless new designs. Other benefits include compatibility of the printhead with syringes of a smaller size that are desirable in small-scale biological applications, and ease-of-use for those without CAD experience to customise the print path using the picture geometry input &ndash; this is particularly beneficial for controlling the morphing behaviours of stimuli-responsive hydrogels.&rdquo;She added: &ldquo;Printer.HM has the potential to open the door to innovative 3D printing in diverse fields, such as tissue engineering, soft robotics, food, and eco-friendly material processing. Its open design, affordability, improved customisability and all-in-one functionalities will benefit the do-it-yourself research community, providing a viable alternative to existing commercial printers.&rdquo;<a href="https://github.com/iekmanlei/Printer.HM" target="_blank">View</a> the codes and CAD designs of the 3D printed parts of &#39;Printer.HM&#39;.<hr>Reference: Lei, I.M., Sheng, Y., Lei, C.L. et al. &lsquo;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16008-6" target="_blank">A hackable, multi-functional, and modular extrusion 3D printer for soft materials</a>.&rsquo; Scientific Reports (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16008-6

soft robotics

Profiles