Researchers report the development of robotic fabrics by integrating functional fibers into conventional textiles. Fabrics, with their interlocking fibers, tend to be breathable, lightweight, and highly compactible materials. Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio and colleagues explored the design of independently functioning fabric machines and developed a standalone platform for robotic fabrics. The authors incorporated heat-responsive Nitinol shape-memory alloy to serve as the actuator and flattened its shape to prevent twisting. Next, the authors incorporated Field's metal-epoxy composite variable support fibers to lend stiffness to the fabric when needed, such as when supporting a load. Finally, the authors painted fibers with conductive ink that can sense the strain or bending of the fabric to help control and hold curvatures in the fabric. By incorporating these fibers into conventional fabrics, the authors developed a robotic tourniquet and shape-changing napkin-sized robotic sheet that automatically folds into a box capable of supporting 50 g of weight. According to the authors, established textile manufacturing processes could eventually be leveraged for production of rolls of robotic fabric that could be used to make self-reconfiguring machinery.
###
ARTICLE #20-06211: "Roboticizing fabric by integrating functional fibers," by Trevor L. Buckner, R. Adam Bilodeau, Sang Yup Kim, and Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio.
MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, Yale University, New Haven, CT; tel: 203-432-9662; e-mail: rebecca.kramer@yale.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences