Figure 2 - from "3D printing for soft robotics - a review"

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Figure 1. Examples of printed soft robots and soft devices. (a) Pre-strained polystyrene substrate with inkjet-printed hinges made of carbon black ink. (b) 3D-printed jumping soft robot. (c) 3D stereolithography-printed bat with curvature time lapse. (d) 4D-printed composite with swellableable hinges. (e) 4D-printed unfolded box composed of shape memory polymers. (f) A jumping soft robot with 3D-printed mould. (g) 4D printing of hydrogel composites for soft robotic applications. (h) A snake inspired soft robot with 3D-printed mould. (i) Multi-step 3D-printed octobot. (j) Pneumatic actuator for spinal compression and flextion with 3D-printed mould. (k) Embedded 3D printing of soft strain sensor for soft robots. (I) Multicore print head shell capacitive sensor. as motor driver, microcontroller and wireless communi- cation system [54]. Onal and Rus fabricated a soft robot through 3D printing technology that was bio-inspired from the shape and motion of a snake with the ability to undulate in a similar pattern to a real snake using the actuation power without human assistance. The as-fabricated soft snake robot was autonomous with onboard computation, control, power and actuation capabilities. The robot had four bidirectional actuators to create a wave through its entire body from head to tail. The time it took to fabricate the soft robotic snake was 14h with the ability to achieve an average locomo- tion speed of 19 mm s"! [55]. Homberg et al. applied the technique of 3D printing for the fabrication of a soft robotic hand with multi-fingers and ability to grip various solid objects such as a CD, paper, pen, soda can etc. Resistive bend sensors were installed in each finger nology, having high de electrically through SM purpose deformable ro forma A coi o distinguish between different objects. It had the ability 0 recognize a set of objects owing to the stored data from internal flex sensors. Each finger of the soft robotic hand had an independent sensing ability [56]. Umedachi et al. fabricated a soft worm robot by 3D printing tech- ble capability from rubber ike material. The reported soft worm does not require any fluidic or pneumatic actuators as they are powered s. The results of this study had important inferences for the ongoing research on soft animal locomotion and for designing other multi- bots [57]. Figure 1 shows exam- ples of 3D-printed soft robots for various applications.

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60 New topics/Others; 211 Scaffold / Tissue engineering / Drug delivery Soft robots have received an increasing attention due to their advantages of high flexibility anc safety for human operators but the fabrication is a challenge. Recently, 3D printing has beer used as a key technology to fabricate soft robots because of high quality and printing multiple materials at the same time. Functional soft materials are particularly well suited for soft robotic: due to a wide range of stimulants and sensitive demonstration of large deformations, hig motion complexities and varied multi-functionalities. This review comprises a detailed survey) of 3D printing in soft robotics. The development of key 3D printing technologies and nev materials along with composites for soft robotic applications is investigated. A brief summary of 3D-printed soft devices suitable for medical to industrial applications is also included. The growing research on both 3D printing and soft robotics needs a summary of the major reportec studies and the authors believe that this review article serves the purpose. 1. Introduction manufactured at low volumes in a cost-effective way. One of the main example of the design freedom offered is that conventional assemblies can be restructured in a single complex structure that could not be manufactured with the current manufacturing processes. Another driver of the 3D printing technology is that it is environmentally and ecologically favourable. 3D printing technologies and methods are growing frequently in terms of applica- tion and market share, spreading into various manufac- turing divisions, such as robotics, motorized, health and aerospace and are expected that this substantial growth will continue over the next few years.

Figure 2. (a) Multi-material 3D printing system by Advanced Micro Mechatronics (AMM) Research Lab, Jeju National University, South Korea. (b) Photograph of the AMM’'s multi-material 3D printing system. (c) Soft omnidirectional actuator by AMM Lab. (d) (i) Fabricated soft-bot actuation of each leg at different time intervals. (ii) Model of actuation to generate movement at different time intervals. (iii) Finite-element displacement simulation results of one complete actuation cycle. (iv) Finite element strain simulation of one complete actuation cycle. A liquid resin is selectively photopolymerized in the SLA new ayer ing o process by a laser. After the printing first layer, a ayer is introduced and afterward cross-linked by ocal illumination. This process of depositing liquid resin by layer is repeated several times until the print- f chosen 3D object is finished. Various other novel additive manufacturing techniques such as continuous iquid interface production (CLIP), digital projection ithography (DLP) and two-photon polymerization In this section, we will present introduction of diverse fabrication techniques based on additive manufactur- ing to show its ability to produce simple and complex soft robots with various applications. In additive man- ufacturing, a computer-controlled transformation stage typically changes a pattern-generating device, either in the form of an ink-based print head or laser optics to fabricate the desired objects in a layer by layer pattern. During the process of additive manufacturing, patterned regions composed of powders, inks or resins are solidi- fied to produce the desired 3D shapes. These 3D-printed objects are a physical realization of the digital designs. Several basic additive manufacturing printing tech- niques have been presented since the introduction of 3D printing. The technology has advanced from making basic prototypes to fabricating finished products. The explicit solidification and patterning method used by a given additive manufacturing technique exhibits the minimum feature size that can be achieved and the sort of printable soft materials that can be used. The major differences in the available basic printing methods are mainly related to increasing printing speed, enhancing

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Table 1. Summary of 3D printing technology with respect to soft robots.

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Imran Shah

3D printing for soft robotics - a review

Abstract: Soft robots have received an increasing attention due to their advantages of high flexibility and safety for human operators but the fabrication is a challenge. Recently, 3D printing has been used as a key technology to fabricate soft robots because of high quality and printing multiple materials at the same time. Functional soft materials are particularly well suited for soft robotics due to a wide range of stimulants and sensitive demonstration of large deformations, high motion complexities and varied multi-functionalities. This review comprises a detailed survey of 3D printing in soft robotics. The development of key 3D printing technologies and new materials along with composites for soft robotic applications is investigated. A brief summary of 3D-printed soft devices suitable for medical to industrial applications is also included. The growing research on both 3D printing and soft robotics needs a summary of the major reported studies and the authors believe that this review a...

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Abstract: The evolution of nature created delicate structures and organisms. With the advancement of technology, especially the rise of additive manufacturing, bionics has gradually become a popular research field. Recently, researchers have concentrated on soft robotics, which can mimic the complex movements of animals by allowing continuous and often responsive local deformations. These properties give soft robots advantages in terms of integration and control with human tissue. The rise of additive manufacturing technologies and soft matters makes the fabrication of soft robots with complex functions such as bending, twisting, intricate 3D motion, grasping, and stretching possible. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the additive manufacturing process, including fused deposition modeling, direct ink writing, inkjet printing, stereolithography, and selective laser sintering, are discussed. The applications of 3D printed soft matter in bionics, soft robotics, flexible electronics, and biomedical engineering are reviewed.

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