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Updated: Feb 13, 2026
08:24
Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes
Published on: February 28, 2020
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3D printing of robotic soft actuators with programmable bioinspired architectures
Manuel Schaffner1, Jakob A Faber2, Lucas Pianegonda1
1Complex Materials, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland.
Nature Communications
|March 2, 2018
Summary
Researchers developed a 3D printing method for soft actuators. This technique allows for precise control over actuator motion, enabling complex robotic designs for safe human interaction.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Materials Science
- Biomimetics
Background:
- Soft actuators enable safer robot interactions but are limited by manufacturing complexity.
- Current methods struggle with creating multimaterial parts for intricate soft actuator designs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a 3D printing platform for fabricating programmable, bioinspired soft actuators.
- To demonstrate how material properties and architecture can dictate actuator function.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a 3D printing platform for seamless digital fabrication of pneumatic silicone actuators.
- Incorporated reinforcing stripes at specific lead angles on an elastomeric body.
- Employed a quantitative model based on lamination theory for design principles.
Main Results:
- Achieved programmable actuation, including elongation, contraction, and twisting motions, by altering the lead angle.
- Established design principles for silicone-based soft actuators through a quantitative model.
- Successfully 3D printed a variety of soft morphing structures with programmed functional responses.
Conclusions:
- The developed 3D printing platform offers a simple route to fabricate complex soft actuators.
- Programmable architectures and material properties are key to designing advanced soft robotic systems.
- This approach expands the possibilities for creating bioinspired soft robots with diverse functionalities.
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