CHARACTERIZATION OF 3D PRINTED CONDUCTIVE FLEXIBLE MATERIALS FOR SOFT ROBOTIC APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Soft robots composed of compliant and flexible materials can safely interact with humans and adapt to unstructured environments. However, integrating sensors, actuators, and control circuits into soft structures remains challenging. Additive manufacturing shows promise for fabricating soft robots with embedded electronics using conductive flexible composites. Nevertheless, there is still a limited understanding of the electromechanical behavior of 3D-printed conductive structures when subjected to the types of strains relevant to soft robotics applications. Optimized design requires characterizing the interplay between a soft component's changing shape and electrical properties during deformation. This study investigates the application of 3D printing technology to fabricate various geometries using a conductive, flexible material for soft robotic applications. The primary objective is to understand and characterize the behavior of differently shaped 3D-printed conductive materials under various mechanical stresses. Two distinct test setups are designed for conducting bending and tensile tests on the produced materials. Diverse geometries are printed using the conductive flexible material with desirable mechanical and electrical properties to employ tensile and bending tests. The experiments reveal a direct correlation between shape change and electrical resistance of the 3D printed materials, providing valuable insights into their adaptability for soft robotics. According to numerical results, honeycomb profiles are found to be the most linear and stable profile type. This research not only contributes to the field of flexible conductive materials but also lays the foundation for integrating these materials into future engineering designs, potentially enabling the development of highly responsive and adaptable devices for various industries.