Hybrid 3D printing systems for soft robotics

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Soft robotics is a robotics study that aims to research and develop new robot mechanisms and related technologies with improved adaptability to external environments by using flexible materials such as rubber. The Global Soft Robotics Market is expected to grow from USD 300.50 million in 2018 to USD 2,323.58 million by 2024. Since the recent work is still limited to experimentation and prototyping of soft robotics, advanced additive manufacturing technologies could be used for the end-use and production of soft robotics. Therefore, we will develop the hybrid 3D printing system by the integration of a volumetric light projection 3D printing system with the direct ink writing 3D printing. Direct ink writing 3D printing can print various functional inks with electrical, magnetic, and piezoelectric properties for sensors and actuators inside the silicon-based gel bath. Then, a 3D structure with embedded sensors and actuators will be rapidly printed with the light-sensitive silicone gel using the volumetric 3D printing system. We will also develop various inks for both the volumetric 3D printing and the direct ink write 3D printing systems. The gel ink will have the proper rheological properties to support suspended printing patterns inside. For the direct ink write 3D printing, various functional inks will be developed and tested. Third, we will optimize the hybrid 3D printing system for printing 3D printed soft robotic grippers. The soft robotic reconfigurable grippers can be magnetically or pneumatically actuated, and the embedded sensors can sense gripping forces. The developed hybrid 3D printing platform and 3D printing inks will address the demand for intelligent soft robots in various applications, including manufacturing, manipulation, gripping, human-machine interaction, locomotion, and more. This project has significant potential for fostering collaboration with robotics and wearable technology industries in Alberta and generating many intellectual properties that can be the foundation for start-ups or translated into Alberta's high-tech companies, such as Attabotics in Calgary.