Researchers have developed a method of 3D printing an entire working robot — without electronics — that works immediately.
For many years, we’ve been waiting for that moment when we could ask our 3D printers to produce arbitrary complex items, and it’s really never happened. That’s because most complex objects require at least different materials, unprintable components like electronics, and sometimes unusual manufacturing steps, like high-temperature post-processing, etc.
But what if you changed the game so that you could actually 3D print a fully functional working object — in only a single material?
In other words, change the design rather than changing the making equipment.
That’s precisely what a research team did. Their goal was to develop a working robot that could be directly — and entirely — 3D printed.
Their concept was to print the robot in a flexible material and power it with compressed air. The compressed air would flow through a complex series of internal channels and valves that would cause the limbs of the robot to move in a coordinated manner: a pneumatic robot.
Central to their approach is a novel four-phase bistable oscillating valve that coordinates leg motion using a constant air pressure input. The robot requires only a small CO2 canister to provide the necessary pneumatic energy. They say that their testing indicated the material could withstand 179,000 cycles using TPE material.
To ensure the print was airtight, an obvious requirement for this project, the researchers developed a Eulerian toolpath that not only sealed the chambers but also eliminated the need for support structures and post-processing.
To “program” the device to walk in different ways was accomplished by designing different leg configurations. These would affect the motion in predictable ways and could be used to design a device for a specific purpose.
Obviously, this prototype will have some constraints. For example, there is no steering: the robot will simply “execute” the motions designed into its structure.
However, this can still be useful: imagine a software tool that could, for example, input a route and then generate the corresponding robot design to travel that route. You could then 3D print a disposable robot for immediate use.
This capability might be especially useful in a number of scenarios. Imagine disaster zone workers being able to custom-print exploratory robots on-site, or producing disposable biodegradable single-use robots. There are many possibilities.
As always, this is simply research. However, the concept looks very promising and might at some point be commercialized by entrepreneurs.
Via Advanced
