McAlpine added that this new discovery could also be used to print electronics on real human skin. "We have a multifunctional printer that can print several layers to make these flexible sensory devices."While we haven&China Spandex Fabric suppliers39;t printed on human skin yet, we were able to print on the curved surface of a model hand using our technique," McAlpine continued. This could take us into so many directions from health monitoring to energy harvesting to chemical sensing. A team of researchers has come up with a revolutionary process for 3D printing stretchable electronic sensory devices that could give robots the ability to feel their environment."The # possibilities for the future are endless," McAlpine said.Lead researcher Michael McAlpine said that this stretchable electronic fabric has many practical uses. These sensors could also make it easier for other robots to walk and interact with their environment.

These flexible 3D printed sensors can stretch up to three times their original size."McAlpine and his team made the unique sensing fabric with a one-of-a kind 3D printer they built in the lab. end-of Tags: researchers, bionic skin, robots, mcalpine. The supporting sacrificial layer is later washed away in the final manufacturing process.The research is published online in Advanced Materials.The University of Minnesota discovery is also a major step forward in printing electronics on real human skin He noted that putting this type of 'bionic skin' on surgical robots would give surgeons the ability to actually feel during minimally invasive surgeries.The University of Minnesota discovery is also a major step forward in printing electronics on real human skin."The researchers said that the next step is to move toward semiconductor inks and printing on a real body.Surprisingly, all of the layers of "inks" used in the flexible sensors can set at room temperature. Conventional 3D printing using liquid plastic is too hot and too rigid to use on the skin. "We also interfaced a printed device with the skin and were surprised that the device was so sensitive that it could detect your pulse in real time.

This ultimate wearable technology could eventually be used for health monitoring or by soldiers in the field to detect dangerous chemicals or explosives."This is a completely new way to approach 3D printing of electronics," McAlpine said.He noted that putting this type of 'bionic skin' on surgical robots would give surgeons the ability to actually feel during minimally invasive surgeries, which would make surgery easier instead of just using cameras like they do now. The multifunctional printer has four nozzles to print the various specialized "inks" that make up the layers of the device--a base layer of silicone, top and bottom electrodes made of a conducting ink, a coil-shaped pressure sensor, and a sacrificial layer that holds the top layer in place while it sets.