Freeform Manufacture of Soft Electronics and Soft Actuators
Abstract
Due to their ruggedness, light weight, and the potential of low cost, soft electronics have found wide applications in flexible displays and solar cells, conformable antennas, smart fabrics, as well as bio-integrated and bio-mimetic devices. Soft actuators refer to soft materials or structures that can undergo large deformation in response to non-mechanical stimuli such as electrical, temperature or chemical cues. Both soft electronics and soft actuators are key components of soft robotics, which, compared with rigid robots, can better deal with highly dynamic tasks and environments and can make safer physical contact with living cells and human bodies. Versatile, rapid and low cost manufacture holds the key to the success of the next generation soft devices.Freeform manufacture enabled by the development of rapid digital design and fabrication tools has shown great promise. Unlike conventional microfabrication which uses precise photomasks, stencils or 3D molds for patterning and shaping, 2D and 3D digital printing and ablation tools allow for the additive and subtractive manufacture of soft electronics and soft actuators. Sincesome high performance soft devices may still demand some key functional components to be made out of stiff semiconducting or actuating materials, we propose to establish a freeform manufacturing system that can process stiff materials like metals, ceramics, and 2D atomic sheets, soft polymers and gels, as well as threads and yarns. The combination of 2D and 3D, additive and subtractive processing capabilities for diverse types of materials would greatly enhance the quality of research and research-related education in projects that are currently funded or to-be-proposed to the DoD. The system will provide a means for the rapid prototyping of next generation hybrid soft electronics and soft actuators. The system can also be used for students to learn cutting-edgetechnologies in digital design and manufacture of hybrid soft devices.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 10, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812323
Entities
People
- Nanshu Lu
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Texas at Austin