来自Zhejiang University of Technology,Tianjin University, Nanjing Institute of Technology, andRitsumeikan University，使用3D打印来创建软机器人手指。
Powered by an embedded single-electrode triboelectric curvature sensor (S-TECS), the additive digit can sense bending curvature at ultralow working frequencies, without requiring an external power source. The device was produced as a proof of concept that multi-material 3D printing can not only be used to fabricate soft actuators, but also functional sensors. The researchers hope the innovation will pave the way for a simple and fast manufacturing process to produce controllable soft robotics.
建造机器人手指的独特方法
使用软材料和兼容结构混合构建的机器人技术越来越多地为人口老龄化引起的挑战提供了解决方案。随着软机器人研究的进步和新的制造方法，人类机器人的互动变得更加安全，并为该技术开辟了新的应用。例如，现在可以直接打印具有空气密集型结构和硬组件的软机器人。这种发展导致了诸如Wyss Institute’s3D printed jumping robot produced in 2015.
Other soft robotics projects, like that of the Wyss team, have integrated soft sensors based on piezoelectric, conductive, magnetic, and organic optical materials into their soft robotics designs. According to the researchers though, these sensors can have drawbacks such as lengthy prototyping times, unstable cable connection, complicated system assembly, and difficulties with system integration.
As a result, the research team opted to use triboelectric sensors. This type of component offers high stretchability and sensitivity, allowing the robotic finger to actively perceive and sense its deformation or response in-real time. Using 3D printing within the process also enabled the team to use multiple materials, and take advantage of a one-step printing process with shortened prototyping times. Constructed through the combination of a triboelectric curvature sensor and a stretchable electrode, the researchers’ S-TECS sensor managed to avoid the same integration complexity as previous projects.
将S-TECS传感器集成到3D打印零件中
The device’s main body consists of nine inflation chambers connected to a main airway, with each chamber featuring a rectangular shape to provide a flat surface for S-TECS patterns to be printed on. The hard-reinforced chambers have a width of 2 mm, with two spacers at both ends to support the top layer of S-TECS, and maintain a height of 3 mm between the two layers. The additive digit can only bend in one direction according to its chamber configuration. When the finger bends, the top layer of the S-TECS starts to approach the bottom layer, until it makes full contact, activating contact electrification and generating electricity.
The device was produced using aStratasysmulti-material Objet350 3D printerin two separate parts: the reinforced soft main body and the connector. Patterns ofS-TECS were directly printed onto the top surface of the finger body to simplify the totalfabrication process, and to reduce production time. The triboelectric layer and soft body of the device were produced using the rubber-like AgilusBlack printing material, as it demonstrated a tensile strength of 2.75 MPa, and elongation at break of 250%. Curing was carried out at room temperature for 24 hours, and once the finger’s 3D printed parts were screwed together, and the S-TECS attached by silicone adhesive, the assembly was complete.
研究人员通过更改表面配置，应用于其的力以及在自动设置中运行频率来测试传感器的性能。没有发现将传感器与不同的软材料整合在一起可以降低整体机器人系统的柔韧性和适应性。另外，在超低工作频率为0.06 Hz的情况下，传感器能够测量高达8.2 m-1的指曲率。
Testing not only proved the effectiveness of the S-TECS as a self-powered curvature sensor, but also the feasibility of creating soft robotic structures with triboelectric layers using multi-material 3-D printing technology. The researchers concluded that the method had the potential to be utilized in future robotics applications that use advanced sensing capabilities.
Additive manufacturing and soft robotics
3D打印已被用来创建柔软的机器人技术，其应用程序从航空航天行业到药用目的各不相同。
研究ers from New York’sCornell Universitydeveloped a3D printed soft robotic muscle能够在2020年1月通过出汗来控制其内部温度。其柔软的指控器可以保留水并响应温度以冷却自身。
A pair ofNASAresearchers successfully used 3D printing to producea soft robotic actuatorin May 2019, a key component for animating and controlling a robot’s moving parts. The research was part of a broader investigation into potential soft robotic applications in space.
Rutgers University-New Brunswickresearchers created a新的水凝胶3D打印材料in May 2018 that was so flexible, it could be made to walk like a human being. Developed for applications in the medical industry, the material could be used to deliver drugs to target parts of the body, reducing the risk of damage to a patient.
The researchers’ findings are detailed in their paper titled “A soft robotic finger with self-powered triboelectric curvature sensor based on multi-material 3D printing.” The study was published in theScience DirectJournal and co-authored by Mingzhu Zhu, Mengying Xie, Xuanming Lu, Shima Okada, and Sadao Kawamura.
您现在可以提名2020 3D印刷行业奖. Cast your vote to help decide this year’s winners.
To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, don’t forget to subscribe to the3D打印行业newsletter或跟随我们Twitter或喜欢我们的页面Facebook.
在增材制造业寻找工作？雷电竞充值访问3D Printing Jobsfor a selection of roles in the industry.
Featured image shows the 3D printed robotic finger, which is constructed out of nine layer chambers (pictured). Photo via Science Direct.
