10 - Functionalized 4D-printed sensor systems

Abstract

Additive manufacturing technologies such as screen, inkjet, and three-dimensional (3D) printing of various conductive, nonconductive, and specifically engineered materials can be beneficially employed to fabricate diverse electronic systems such as sensors, actuators, and batteries. By employing these technologies, such systems can be fabricated highly specialized and individualized while still being comparably inexpensive. The high degree of specialization has recently led to an increased aim to reduce system complexity while still achieving the desired functionality. To this end, 4D-printing is an advantageous approach since it results in systems that can be externally controlled through specific environmental stimuli (temperature, humidity, light, etc.) without the necessity of solid-state circuitry and control algorithms. This chapter deals with functionalized sensor systems based on additive fabrication technologies and their combinations. An outline of how these can be beneficially applied to robotics and wearable medical applications for human-device interfaces is given together with an outlook into the developments toward 4D-printing and promising future applications.