Fully 3D printed soft microactuators for soft microrobotics

Manav Tyagi,Edwin W H Jager,Geoffrey M Spinks

doi:10.1088/1361-665x/ab9f48

Manav Tyagi, Edwin W H Jager + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-665x/ab9f48

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Abstract

The feasibility of additive manufacturing actuating microstructures and microdevices with small dimension is presented. Using a custom-built extrusion 3D printer and CAD model of the device structure, bilayer microactuators driven by hydrogels are fabricated down to a size of 300 × 1000 μm2, with a minimum thickness of 30 μm. To explore the limitations of the 3D printing process, microactuators with a width of 300 μm and lengths ranging from 1000 to 5000 μm are manufactured and thereafter operated to demonstrate the feasibility of the process. Similarly, microrobotic devices consisting of a passive rigid body and flexible moving parts are 3D printed to illustrate the ease and versatility of the additive manufacturing technique to fabricate soft microgrippers or micromanipulators.

Highlights

Constructed from compliant materials, soft robots have greater flexibility to adapt to unstructured environments and perform complex functions that are difficult to achieve using conventionally built rigid robots [1]
We have previously shown that additive manufacturing of soft microactuators and microrobots can be pushed into the microdomain using a hybrid additive manufacturing approach [22]
We wanted to check the feasibility of our fabrication process and to see if the 3D printed hydrogel microactuators actuated when exposed to moisture

Summary

Introduction

Constructed from compliant materials, soft robots have greater flexibility to adapt to unstructured environments and perform complex functions that are difficult to achieve using conventionally built rigid robots [1]. The enhanced versatility and compliancy of the soft actuators allow them to safely interact in close proximity or even in contact with humans. Due to the enhanced flexibility, have better reach in constrained spaces than the rigid ones. Soft microrobotics allows for the grasping and manipulation of small delicate objects with potential applications in the fields of medical technology and space.

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