柔性触觉传感器的三维打印制造技术研究进展

Recent Progress on Three-dimensional Printing Processes to Fabricate Flexible Tactile Sensors

聚合物基柔性触觉传感器在智能机器人、人工假肢与人体健康状态监测等领域有着广泛的应用,将三维打印技术应用于柔性触觉传感器的制造过程可以克服传统制造方法加工周期长、复杂聚合物基微结构制造困难等缺陷。因此发展聚合物基触觉传感器的三维打印制造技术及工艺是当前的学科研究热点,具有广阔的发展前景。首先,在阐述柔性触觉传感器的传感检测原理和性能指标的基础上,重点阐述了柔性触觉传感器三维打印制造技术方面的最新研究进展,包括聚合物基柔性触觉传感器的结构设计、三维打印材料的分类和应用、以及传感器的打印制造方法及工艺等。然后,还总结预测了基于新材料制备和新制造工艺的柔性触觉传感器设计与制造的发展趋势,并对柔性触觉传感器的三维打印制造技术未来的发展趋势进行了展望。

Polymer-based flexible tactile sensors have been widely utilized in intelligent robotics,artificial prosthetics,human health monitoring,etc.The application of three-dimensional(3D)printing technology to fabricate the flexible tactile sensors can overcome the shortcomings of traditional manufacturing processes,such as long term of fabrication and challenge of manufacturing the complex polymer-based microstructures.Therefore,the development of 3D printing process for polymer-based tactile sensors and electronic skin is the hot topic of research and will have broaden prospects.The sensing principles of the current flexible tactile sensors and their sensing performance requirements are described.Then,the recent progress of 3D printing technology for the fabricated flexible tactile sensors are presented,which including the tactile sensor’s structural design,classification and application of printable sensing materials,printing methods and processes.Finally,the development trend of 3D printed flexible tactile sensors are summarized.Also,the novel highly sensitive flexible material’s preparation and new printing process for the flexible tactile sensors are prospected.Further,the future development trends of 3D printed flexible tactile sensors are concluded.