rapid-manufacturing-of-thin-soft-pneumatic-actuators-and-robots

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

This protocol describes a method for rapid manufacturing of soft pneumatic actuators and robots with an ultrathin form factor using a heat press and a ...

Rapid Formation and Testing of Self-expanding NiTi Frames with a Small Form Factor Suitable for Minimally Invasive Implants

NiTiNOL (commonly referred to as nitinol or NiTi) wires feature exceptional shape memory and super-elastic characteristics, while shape-setting is often a ...

Weill Cornell Medicine

New Mexico State University

The design and development of a novel apparatus for the simultaneous measurement of electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient of films is reported here. Mounting stage is integrated inside a cryostat chamber enabling measurements over the 10-400 K temperature range, intended for organic thermoelectrics. Finite element method was used to analyze the thermo-mechanical response of the sample holder. The apparatus was validated against high purity nickel film, and a very good agreement was found.

Measurement of the thermoelectric power factor of films over the 10-400 K range.

Pneumatically actuated soft robots address many challenges with interfacing with delicate objects, but these actuators/robots are still bulky and require many hours to fabricate, limiting their widespread use. This article reports a novel design and manufacturing method for ultrathin soft robots and actuators (∼70 μm) using a laser-cutting machine that cuts/welds sheets of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) from a 2D CAD drawing. Using this method, five different soft actuators (e.g., bending, rotating, contracting) are designed, fabricated, and characterized with both planar and nonplanar motions. Furthermore, we show how stacking multiple sheets of TPU enables rapid fabrication of multifunctional actuators. Finally, a portable four-arm swimming robot is designed and fabricated without any assembly steps. This rapid fabrication method enables soft robots to go from concept to operational within minutes, and creates a new subclass of soft robots suitable for applications requiring a robot to be ultrathin, lightweight, and/or fit within small volumes.

Laser Cutting as a Rapid Method for Fabricating Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots.

3D printing has been used to create a wide variety of anatomical models and tools for procedural planning and training. Yet, the printing of permanent, soft endocardial implants remains challenging because of the need for haemocompatibility and durability of the printed materials. Here, we describe an approach for the rapid prototyping of patient-specific cardiovascular occluders via 3D printing and static moulding of inflatable silicone/polyurethane balloons derived from volume-rendered computed tomography scans. We demonstrate the use of the approach, which provides custom-made implants made of high-quality, durable and haemocompatible elastomeric materials, in the fabrication of devices for occlusion of the left atrial appendage-a structure known to be highly variable in geometry and the primary source of stroke for patients with atrial fibrillation. We describe the design workflow, fabrication and deployment of patient-specific left atrial appendage occluders and, as a proof-of-concept, show their efficacy using 3D-printed anatomical models, in vitro flow loops and an in vivo large animal model.

Patient-specific design of a soft occluder for the left atrial appendage.

Micropatterning is often used to engineer the surface properties of objects because it allows the enhancement or modification of specific functionalities without modification of the bulk material properties. Microneedle arrays have been explored in the past for drug delivery and enhancement of tissue anchoring; however, conventional methods are primarily limited to thick, planar substrates. Here, we demonstrate a method for the fabrication of microneedle arrays on thin flexible polyurethane substrates. These thin-film microneedle arrays can be used to fabricate balloons and other inflatable objects. In addition, these thin-filmed microneedles can be transferred, using thermal forming processes, to more complex 3D objects on which it would otherwise be difficult to directly pattern microneedles. This function is especially useful for medical devices, which require effective tissue anchorage but are a challenging target for micropatterning due to their 3D nonplanar shape, large size, and the complexity of the required micropatterns. Ultrathin flexible thermoplastic polyurethane microneedle arrays were fabricated from a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold. The technique was applied onto the nonplanar surface of rapidly prototyped soft robotic implantable polyurethane devices. We found that a microneedle-patterned surface can increase the anchorage of the device to a tissue by more than twofold. In summary, our soft lithographic patterning method can rapidly and inexpensively generate thin-film microneedle surfaces that can be used to produce balloons or enhance the properties of other 3D objects and devices.

Seyedhamidreza Alaie

Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging,
New York-Presbyterian Hospital,
Department of Radiology,
Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging, New York-Presbyterian Hospital

Weill Cornell Medicine

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Rapid Formation and Testing of Self-expanding NiTi Frames with a Small Form Factor Suitable for Minimally Invasive Implants

Seyedhamidreza Alaie

Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging,New York-Presbyterian Hospital,Department of Radiology,Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging, New York-Presbyterian Hospital

Weill Cornell Medicine

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Rapid Formation and Testing of Self-expanding NiTi Frames with a Small Form Factor Suitable for Minimally Invasive Implants

Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging,
New York-Presbyterian Hospital,
Department of Radiology,
Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging, New York-Presbyterian Hospital