Project
Our main advantage is our integrated research approach, combining material, manufacturing and robotics-oriented research, which is unique in the field. Most groups focus on a single aspect and work in much smaller teams, without the possibility to offer the complete value chain.
To develop the vision of self healing sustainable products, we developed an unprecedented integrated approach consisting of several essential technology breakthrough innovations on the value chain:
- Portfolio of sustainable self healing materials: Judicious design of the polymer network structure allows tuning the chemical reactivity and viscoelastic properties and the mechanical and healing behaviour, combining strength and autonomous healing. By the addition of adequate fillers, we gave these materials additional functionality, making them magnetic and electrically conductive, and optimized them to exploit the added functionalities of the fillers and the original properties of the matrix to the fullest extent. As such, we have a rich portfolio of (multi-functional) self-healing materials with a broad range of characteristics, that can be seamlessly combined.
- Multi-material manufacturing: To go beyond the state of art on the manufacturing level and to respond to different industrial needs, we developed dedicated processing techniques to make healable soft robots, including additive manufacturing/3D printing, moulding, casting, laser cutting and welding and even use combination of production techniques. These processes are not generally accessible to elastomers and thermosets, but made possible by way of the reversible covalent crosslinks.
- Self healing embedded sensors: we embedded self-healing flexible electronics in our self-healing actuators, including soft sensors for strain and deformation, capacitive sensors for force/contact and damage detection and embedded self-healing flexible heaters providing a heat stimulus for autonomous healing.
- Application level: On the robotics level, we demonstrated the first self-healing actuators for grippers and bionic hands. For the first time, complex 3D structures were able to fully recover their functional performance after being completely cut in two.
In combination, these breakthroughs led to innovative demonstrator of soft and multi-material robots that can detect and heal damage fully autonomously. On all levels, we made simulation and modelling software tools to predict and optimize performances.
Team
