The New 3D printing method lets you create materials that sense their environment

Article Link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220810161047.htm

Why I chose this article

The importance of this research is that it provides a way to create flexible soft robots with embedded sensors that enable the robots to understand their posture and movements. This could be used to produce wearable smart devices, like customized running shoes that provide feedback on how an athlete’s foot is impacting the ground.

Summary of the article

The most important idea of this article is that the researchers have developed a method for 3D printing materials with tuneable mechanical properties, which can sense how they are moving and interacting with the environment. The researchers used a technique called digital light processing 3D printing to create their structures. In this method, the structure is drawn out of a pool of resin and hardened into a precise shape using projected light. An image is projected onto the wet resin and areas struck by the light are cured.

Reference

1. Ryan L. Truby, Lillian Chin, Annan Zhang, Daniela Rus. Fluidic innervation sensorizes structures from a single build material. Science Advances, 2022; 8 (32) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq4385