Ionic Ink Gives Robots a Soft Touch

Mar-04-18 Flexible, 3D-printed grippers embedded with ionic ink could give soft robots a sense of touch.

Typically, placing sensors inside soft robotics has been a challenge, since most sensors are stiff and rigid. A new process developed by a team from Harvard, however, could allow soft robots to have a sense of touch.

The team used the established embedded 3D printing method and an ionic liquid-based conductive ink to build soft sensors within the flexible polymer used to make soft robots. The contact sensors allowed the robotic grippers to sense stiffness, contact, curves and pressure with impressive accuracy.

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[CO.UK]
[SEAS.HARVARD.EDU]

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