AssetID: 53233058
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Scientists 3D Print Robot Hand With Human-Like Ligaments
Caption: In a significant advancement in 3D printing, researchers at ETH Zurich and a US start-up have developed a technology that can create robots with elastic ligaments just like a human’s. Traditionally, 3D printing was limited to fast-curing plastics, but the new technology enables the production of more durable and robust robots using slow-curing polymers. These polymers offer enhanced elastic properties, making them ideal for creating complex structures and parts with cavities. “We wouldn’t have been able to make this hand with the fast-curing polyacrylates we’ve been using in 3D printing so far,” explains Thomas Buchner, a doctoral student in the group of ETH Zurich robotics professor Robert Katzschmann and first author of the study. “We’re now using slow-curing thiolene polymers. These have very good elastic properties and return to their original state much faster after bending than polyacrylates.” The researchers successfully 3D printed a robotic hand with bones, ligaments, and tendons made of different polymers in one go, a feat not achievable with fast-curing polyacrylates. The use of slow-curing thiolene polymers in the process allows the robotic hand's elastic ligaments to return to their original state faster after bending. Soft robots made from such materials are likely to be safer and more dextrous than traditional metal or hard plastic ones. “Robots made of soft materials, such as the hand we developed, have advantages over conventional robots made of metal. Because they’re soft, there is less risk of injury when they work with humans, and they are better suited to handling fragile goods,” Katzschmann explains. To accommodate slow-curing polymers, the researchers integrated a 3D laser scanner into the 3D printer, checking each printed layer for surface irregularities in real-time. This feedback mechanism adjusts the amount of material to be printed in real-time, compensating for any irregularities without the need for post-printing scraping. The new technology opens up possibilities for creating delicate structures and enables the combination of soft, elastic, and rigid materials in a single print. Inkbit, an MIT spin-off, developed the printing technology, and ETH Zurich researchers optimized it for slow-curing polymers. The team plans to explore additional possibilities and design more sophisticated structures using the technology, while Inkbit aims to offer a 3D printing service and sell the new printers. The findings and technology details have been jointly published by the researchers in the journal Nature.
Keywords: robot,ligaments,3d printing,robotics,feature,photo,video,eth zurich,science,technology
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