Soft 3D printed robots with a monolithically integrated artificial nervous system

Recent advances in materials science and new fabrication processes have driven a paradigm shift in electrical and mechanical engineering. Instead of rigid bulky structures such as silicon wafers and metal frames, soft biomimetic approaches are envisioned. Novel semiconductors and polymeric substrates result in flexible electronics which can be unobtrusively attached to biological or synthetic tissue and be used to realize sensor systems which naturally conform to static or dynamic three-dimensional surfaces. At the same time, 3D printing and soft robots offer the possibility to realize mechanical systems which are reconfigurable and able to mimic the deformability of living organisms. Soft robots can collaborate with humans and even be attached to the human body acting as exoskeletons. In this project, both approaches should be combined to realize a soft gripper with the mechanical capabilities of a human hand and the ability to sense local pressure and temperature on its surface. Arrays of corresponding flexible sensors on the gripper's surface should be connected by microchannels filled with conductive liquid metal, acting as a synthetic nervous system. The data collected by the sensors will be used as feedback to control the activity of pneumatic actuators inside the gripper. All elements will be monolithically integrated using 3D printed rubber. This is of high interest for the fabrication of artificial limbs and the precise manipulation of small objects, and involves the following research tasks:
- Monolithic integration of soft electrical (sensors) and mechanical (support and actuators) structures.
- Strain sensors able to distinguish between external pressure and deformation of the gripper.
- 3D printing of micro channels with extreme aspect ratios, and surface modification to enable the permanent injection of eutectic InGa, acting as highly deformable liquid conductor.
- Interface between synthetic liquid nerves, sensor arrays, and readout electronics.