TY - GEN
T1 - 3D-printable Sustainable Gelatin/Ethaline (GelEth) Ionic Eutectogels for Soft Wearables
AU - Wang, Yuchen
AU - Jiang, Yi
AU - Nechausov, Sergey
AU - Miriyev, Aslan
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 IEEE.
PY - 2025/1/1
Y1 - 2025/1/1
N2 - The push for sustainability in soft robotics has exposed the field's reliance on non-biodegradable materials like thermosetting elastomers, driving the need for eco-friendly alternatives such as biopolymers and deep eutectic solvents (DES). When combined with biopolymers like gelatin, DES form stable, ionically conductive eutectogels, which are well-suited for capacitance- and resistance-based soft sensors. However, the lack of 3D-printing methods for these eutectogels has limited their design flexibility and application in soft robotics. In this work, we present a method and platform for 3D-printing of gelatin/ethaline (GelEth) eutectogels. Our platform, featuring a heated print head and coolable stage, was designed based on material properties and thermal simulations. We successfully 3D-printed GelEth into complex shapes. Moreover, we 3D-printed GelEth mesh structures on kinesiology tape to create on-body strain sensors for joint motion monitoring in the elbow and cervicothoracic junction, which demonstrated consistently excellent strain detection performance. The simplicity and low cost of both the developed 3D-printing platform and the fully sustainable GelEth material offer opportunities for personalized, on-demand use in disposable or reusable modes. We propose that 3D-printed GelEth has significant potential for applications in medical and rehabilitation devices, haptics, and AR/VR systems.
AB - The push for sustainability in soft robotics has exposed the field's reliance on non-biodegradable materials like thermosetting elastomers, driving the need for eco-friendly alternatives such as biopolymers and deep eutectic solvents (DES). When combined with biopolymers like gelatin, DES form stable, ionically conductive eutectogels, which are well-suited for capacitance- and resistance-based soft sensors. However, the lack of 3D-printing methods for these eutectogels has limited their design flexibility and application in soft robotics. In this work, we present a method and platform for 3D-printing of gelatin/ethaline (GelEth) eutectogels. Our platform, featuring a heated print head and coolable stage, was designed based on material properties and thermal simulations. We successfully 3D-printed GelEth into complex shapes. Moreover, we 3D-printed GelEth mesh structures on kinesiology tape to create on-body strain sensors for joint motion monitoring in the elbow and cervicothoracic junction, which demonstrated consistently excellent strain detection performance. The simplicity and low cost of both the developed 3D-printing platform and the fully sustainable GelEth material offer opportunities for personalized, on-demand use in disposable or reusable modes. We propose that 3D-printed GelEth has significant potential for applications in medical and rehabilitation devices, haptics, and AR/VR systems.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105008418709&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/RoboSoft63089.2025.11020846
DO - 10.1109/RoboSoft63089.2025.11020846
M3 - Conference contribution
T3 - 2025 IEEE 8th International Conference on Soft Robotics, RoboSoft 2025
BT - 2025 IEEE 8th International Conference on Soft Robotics, RoboSoft 2025
T2 - 8th IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics, RoboSoft 2025
Y2 - 22 April 2025 through 26 April 2025
ER -