EAGER: Shared Materials Plotter for Organic Robotics

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This EAGER proposal, augmenting basic materials and device research in integrated polymer/living tissue structures, opens an exciting new area in engineered materials. Upgrading from the planned inkjet printer to the new generation of materials plotters in this exploratory project will enable the rapid integration of organic structural, sensor, actuator and electronic components into fully functional devices at many scales. The applications for robotics and cyber-physical systems include 3D polymer MEMs with integrated organic electronics, neurons and even muscle tissue into polymer mechanical devices, variable-focus vision systems and new approaches to polymer muscles.Broader Impacts: This equipment will advance discoveries in multiple materials and device studies in projects across a number of academic departments. The research will broaden participation by providing the critical hardware for three female PhD students in the PI's labs, two of which are funded by NSF GRFs. The equipment will be made broadly available through a new user-service facility, enhancing infrastructure in multiple disciplines.