A 3D knitting machine to develop smart robotic garments for warfighter protection, communication and rehabilitation
Abstract
This proposed equipment will help support the emerging field of textile-based soft robotic garments that are showing promise for lowering the energy expenditure of walking and running, protecting from injury and restoring movement for individuals with impairments. While approaches of system manufacturing to date have relied upon ~piecing~ together off-the-shelftechnical textiles to form devices, there have been limitations in the ability to tune the textile microstructure and introduce functional materials for sensing and actuation. A 3D knitting machine enables fabrication of complex and customized 3D textile microstructures and 3D patterning of macro-scale devices through directed integration of multiple fibrous materials (yarns) into a single form. These capabilities enable the field to (1) introduce multiple materialswith new developed chemistries into the textile structure for functionalities not found in off the shelf fabric, (2) tune the textile structure~s mechanical properties to optimize sensor and actuator performance and (3) create fully-integrated textile-based robotic garments. This would enable soft wearable robots that improve warfighter and civilian mobility on land and in sea while monitoringwearer health and providing the wearer information on objectives. In addition to these use cases, this knitting machine will facilitate the fundamental materials science investigation of smart fibers (sensing, actuation, energy harvesting) and of modeling textile mechanics and relating it to the computationally designed structures.Obtaining this 3D knitting machine would directly benefit research well-aligned with DoD missions and projects. For example, it would bring immediate benefits to the ONR PECASE award ~Fluidic Powered Soft Fabric-Based Actuators for Wearable Robotic Applications.~ The machine would enable the rapid creation and evaluation of new fluidic actuator designs that are prohibitively complex to fabricate with cut and sew techniques, with the added benefit of directlyintegrating sensors to monitor these actuators for control. The 3D knitting machine would also enable the design of custom textile structures that can be experimentally characterized with results compared to computational and analytical mechanics of materials models, providing design toolsfor the field to help support further applications. We envision this as an advanced manufacturing platform within the Wyss Institute and the broader community at Harvard, such as the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Graduate School of Design (GSD). Finally, it will act as a stimulus to further foster collaborations with researchers in the DoD and be an invaluable educational tool in research-focused courses in the areas of medical devicedevelopment, advanced manufacturing, modeling and mechanics of materials, and design.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2019
- Source ID
- N000141912220
Entities
People
- Conor J. Walsh
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- President and Fellows of Harvard College
- United States Navy