Organic electrochemical transistors(OECTs) exhibit significant potential for applications in healthcare and human-machine interfaces, due to their tunable synthesis, facile deposition, and excellent biocompatibility. ...Organic electrochemical transistors(OECTs) exhibit significant potential for applications in healthcare and human-machine interfaces, due to their tunable synthesis, facile deposition, and excellent biocompatibility. Expanding OECTs to the fexible devices will significantly facilitate stable contact with the skin and enable more possible bioelectronic applications. In this work,we summarize the device physics of fexible OECTs, aiming to offer a foundational understanding and guidelines for material selection and device architecture. Particular attention is paid to the advanced manufacturing approaches, including photolithography and printing techniques, which establish a robust foundation for the commercialization and large-scale fabrication. And abundantly demonstrated examples ranging from biosensors, artificial synapses/neurons, to bioinspired nervous systems are summarized to highlight the considerable prospects of smart healthcare. In the end, the challenges and opportunities are proposed for fexible OECTs. The purpose of this review is not only to elaborate on the basic design principles of fexible OECTs, but also to act as a roadmap for further exploration of wearable OECTs in advanced bio-applications.展开更多
Background:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)has a rich and complex tumor immune microenvironment(TIME).M2 macrophages are among the most extensively infiltrated immune cells in the TIME and are necessary for the g...Background:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)has a rich and complex tumor immune microenvironment(TIME).M2 macrophages are among the most extensively infiltrated immune cells in the TIME and are necessary for the growth and migration of cancers.However,the mechanisms and targets mediating M2 macrophage infiltration in pancreatic cancer remain elusive.Methods:The M2 macrophage infiltration score of patients was assessed using the xCell algorithm.Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA),module genes associated with M2 macrophages were identified,and a predictive model was designed.The variations in immunological cell patterns,cancer mutations,and enrichment pathways between the cohorts with the high-and low-risk were examined.Additionally,the expression of FCGR3A and RNASE2,as well as their association with M2 macrophages were evaluated using the HPA,TNMplot,and GEPIA2 databases and verified by tissue immunofluorescence staining.Moreover,in vitro cell experiments were conducted,where FCGR3A was knocked down in pancreatic cancer cells using siRNA to analyze its effects on M2 macrophage infiltration,tumor proliferation,and metastasis.Results:The prognosis of patients in high-risk and low-risk groups was successfully distinguished using a prognostic risk score model of M2 macrophage-related genes(p=0.024).Between the high-and low-risk cohorts,there have been notable variations in immune cell infiltration patterns,tumor mutations,and biological functions.The risk score was linked to the manifestation of prevalent immunological checkpoints,immunological scores,and stroma values(all p<0.05).In vitro experiments and tissue immunofluorescence staining revealed that FCGR3A can promote the infiltration or polarization of M2 macrophages and enhance tumor proliferation and migration.Conclusions:In this study,an M2 macrophage-related pancreatic cancer risk score model was established,and found that FCGR3A was correlated with tumor formation,metastasis,and M2 macrophage infiltration.展开更多
Sweat could be a carrier of informative biomarkers for health status identification;therefore,wearable sweat sensors have attracted significant attention for research.An external power source is an important component...Sweat could be a carrier of informative biomarkers for health status identification;therefore,wearable sweat sensors have attracted significant attention for research.An external power source is an important component of wearable sensors,however,the current power supplies,i.e.,batteries,limit further shrinking down the size of these devices and thus limit their application areas and scenarios.Herein,we report a stretchable self-powered biosensor with epidermal electronic format that enables the in situ detec-tion of lactate and glucose concentration in sweat.Enzymatic biofuel cells serve as self-powered sensing modules allowing the sweat sensor to exhibit a determination coefficient(R2)of 0.98 with a sensitivity of 2.48 mV/mM for lactate detection,and R2 of 0.96 with a sensitivity of 0.11 mV/μM for glucose detection.The microfluidic channels developed in an ultra-thin soft flexible polydimethylsiloxane layer not only enable the effective collection of sweat,but also provide excellent mechanical properties with stable performance output even under 30%stretching.The presented soft sweat sensors can be integrated at nearly any location of the body for the continuous monitoring of lactate and glucose changes during normal daily activities such as exercise.Our results provide a promising approach to develop next-generation sweat sensors for real-time and in situ sweat analysis.展开更多
Background:To understand the relationship between myocardial contractility and ex-ternal stimuli,detecting ex vivo myocardial contractility is necessary.Methods:We elaborated a method for contractility detection of is...Background:To understand the relationship between myocardial contractility and ex-ternal stimuli,detecting ex vivo myocardial contractility is necessary.Methods:We elaborated a method for contractility detection of isolated C57 mouse papillary muscle using Myostation-Intact system under different frequencies,volt-ages,and calcium concentrations.Results:The results indicated that the basal contractility of the papillary muscle was 0.27±0.03 mN at 10 V,500-ms pulse duration,and 1 Hz.From 0.1 to 1.0 Hz,con-tractility decreased with an increase in frequency(0.45±0.11-0.10±0.02 mN).The voltage-initiated muscle contractility varied from 3 to 6 V,and the contractility gradu-ally increased as the voltage increased from 6 to 10 V(0.14±0.02-0.28±0.03 mN).Moreover,the muscle contractility increased when the calcium concentration was increased from 1.5 to 3 mM(0.45±0.17-1.11±0.05 mN);however,the contractility stopped increasing even when the concentration was increased to 7.5 mM(1.02±0.23 mN).Conclusions:Our method guaranteed the survivability of papillary muscle ex vivo and provided instructions for Myostation-Intact users for isolated muscle contractility investigations.展开更多
Skin-integrated electronics,also known as electronic skin(e-skin);are rapidly developing and are gradually being adopted in biomedical fields as well as in our daily lives.E-skin capable of providing sensitive and hig...Skin-integrated electronics,also known as electronic skin(e-skin);are rapidly developing and are gradually being adopted in biomedical fields as well as in our daily lives.E-skin capable of providing sensitive and high-resolution tactile sensations and haptic feedback to the human body would open a new e-skin paradigm for closed-loop human-machine interfaces.Here,we report a class of materials and mechanical designs for the miniaturization of mechanical actuators and strategies for their integration into thin,soft e-skin for haptic interfaces.The mechanical actuators exhibit small dimensions of 5 mm diameter and 1.45 mm thickness and work in an electromagnetically driven vibrotactile mode with resonance frequency overlapping the most sensitive frequency of human skin.Nine mini actuators can be integrated simultaneously in a small area of 2 cm×2 cm to form a 3×3 haptic feedback array,which is small and compact enough to mount on a thumb tip.Furthermore,the thin,soft haptic interface exhibits good mechanical properties that work properly during stretching,bending,and twisting and therefore can conformally fit onto various parts of the human body to afford programmable tactile enhancement and Braille recognition with an accuracy rate over 85%.展开更多
Thin,soft,and skin-integrated electronic system has great advantages for realizing continuous human healthcare monitoring.Here,we report an ultra-thin,flexible,and garment-based microelectronics powered by sweat-activ...Thin,soft,and skin-integrated electronic system has great advantages for realizing continuous human healthcare monitoring.Here,we report an ultra-thin,flexible,and garment-based microelectronics powered by sweat-activated batteries(SABs)and applications of powering biosensors and microelectronic systems for real time sweat monitoring.The SAB cell is ultra-thin(1.25 mm)with excellent biocompatibility.The SAB has good electricity output with high capacity(14.33 mAh)and maximum power density(3.17 mW cm^(−2))after being activated by the sweat volume of 0.045 mL cm^(−2),which could continuously power 120 light emitting diodes over 3 h.The outputs could maintain stable after repeatable bending.Wireless microelectronics system could be continuously powered by the SABs for 3 h to monitor sweat and physiological information,including sweat Na+concentration,pH,and skin impedance.The reported integrated system provides a potential for solving the power issues of flexible wearable electronics and realizing personalized medicine.展开更多
Wearable sweat sensors are gaining significant attention due to their unparalleled potential for noninvasive health monitoring.Sweat,as a kind of body fluid,contains informative physiological indicators that are relat...Wearable sweat sensors are gaining significant attention due to their unparalleled potential for noninvasive health monitoring.Sweat,as a kind of body fluid,contains informative physiological indicators that are related to personalized health status.Advances in wearable sweat sampling and routing technologies,flexible,and stretchable materials,and wireless digital technologies have led to the development of integrated sweat sensors that are comfortable,flexible,light,and intelligent.Herein,we report a flexible and integrated wearable device via incorporating a microfluidic system and a sensing chip with skin-integrated electronic format toward in-situ monitoring of uric acid(UA)in sweat that associates with gout,cardiovascular,and renal diseases.The microfluidic system validly realizes the real-time capture perspiration from human skin.The obtained detection range is 5-200μM and the detection limit is 1.79μM,which offers an importance diagnostic method for clinical relevant lab test.The soft and flexible features of the constructed device allows it to be mounted onto nearly anywhere on the body.We tested the sweat UA in diverse subjects and various body locations during exercise,and similar trends were also observed by using a commercial UA assay kit.展开更多
Muscle groups perform their functions in the human body via bilateral muscle actuation,which brings bionic inspiration to artificial robot design.Building soft robotic systems with artificial muscles and multiple cont...Muscle groups perform their functions in the human body via bilateral muscle actuation,which brings bionic inspiration to artificial robot design.Building soft robotic systems with artificial muscles and multiple control dimensions could be an effective means to develop highly controllable soft robots.Here,we report a bilateral actuator with a bilateral deformation function similar to that of a muscle group that can be used for soft robots.To construct this bilateral actuator,a low-cost VHB 4910 dielectric elastomer was selected as the artificial muscle,and polymer films manufactured with specific shapes served as the actuator frame.By end-to-end connecting these bilateral actuators,a gear-shaped 3D soft robot with diverse motion capabilities could be developed,benefiting from adjustable actuation combinations.Lying on the ground with all feet on the ground,a crawling soft robot with dexterous movement along multiple directions was realized.Moreover,the directional steering was instantaneous and efficient.With two feet standing on the ground,it also acted as a rolling soft robot that can achieve bidirectional rolling motion and climbing motion on a 2°slope.Finally,inspired by the orbicularis oris muscle in the mouth,a mouthlike soft robot that could bite and grab objects 5.3 times of its body weight was demonstrated.The bidirectional function of a single actuator and the various combination modes among multiple actuators together allow the soft robots to exhibit diverse functionalities and flexibility,which provides a very valuable reference for the design of highly controllable soft robots.展开更多
Origami has become an optimal methodological choice for creating complex three-dimensional(3D)structures and soft robots.The simple and low-cost origami-inspired folding assembly provides a new method for developing 3...Origami has become an optimal methodological choice for creating complex three-dimensional(3D)structures and soft robots.The simple and low-cost origami-inspired folding assembly provides a new method for developing 3D soft robots,which is ideal for future intelligent robotic systems.Here,we present a series of materials,structural designs,and fabrication methods for developing independent,electrically controlled origami 3D soft robots for walking and soft manipulators.The 3D soft robots are based on soft actuators,which are multilayer structures with a dielectric elastomer(DE)film as the deformation layer and a laser-cut PET film as the supporting flexible frame.The triangular and rectangular design of the soft actuators allows them to be easily assembled into crawling soft robots and pyramidal-and square-shaped 3D structures.The crawling robot exhibits very stable crawling behaviors and can carry loads while walking.Inspired by origami folding,the pyramidal and square-shaped 3D soft robots exhibit programmable out-of-plane deformations and easy switching between two-dimensional(2D)and 3D structures.The electrically controllable origami deformation allows the 3D soft robots to be used as soft manipulators for grasping and precisely locking 3D objects.This work proves that origami-inspired fold-based assembly of DE actuators is a good reference for the development of soft actuators and future intelligent multifunctional soft robots.展开更多
Expanding wearable technologies to artificial tactile perception will be of significance for intelligent human-machine interface,as neuromorphic sensing devices are promising candidates due to their low energy consump...Expanding wearable technologies to artificial tactile perception will be of significance for intelligent human-machine interface,as neuromorphic sensing devices are promising candidates due to their low energy consumption and highly effective operating properties.Skin-compatible and conformable features are required for the purpose of realizing wearable artificial tactile perception.Here,we report an intrinsically stretchable,skin-integrated neuromorphic system with triboelectric nanogenerators as tactile sensing and organic electrochemical transistors as information processing.The integrated system provides desired sensing,synaptic,and mechanical characteristics,such as sensitive response(~0.04 kPa^(-1))to low-pressure,short-and long-term synaptic plasticity,great switching endurance(>10000 pulses),symmetric weight update,together with high stretchability of 100%strain.With neural encoding,demonstrations are capable of recognizing,extracting,and encoding features of tactile information.This work provides a feasible approach to wearable,skin-conformable neuromorphic sensing system with great application prospects in intelligent robotics and replacement prosthetics.展开更多
With the requirements of self-powering sensors in flexible electronics,wearable triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs)have attracted great attention due to their advantages of excellent electrical outputs and low-cost pr...With the requirements of self-powering sensors in flexible electronics,wearable triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs)have attracted great attention due to their advantages of excellent electrical outputs and low-cost processing routes.The crosstalk effect between adjacent sensing units in TENGs significantly limits the pixel density of sensor arrays.Here,we present a skin-integrated,flexible TENG sensor array with 100 sensing units in an overall size of 7.5 cm×7.5 cm that can be processed in a simple,low-cost,and scalable way enabled by 3D printing.All the sensing units show good sensitivity of 0.11 V/kPa with a wide range of pressure detection from 10 to 65 kPa,which allows to accurately distinguish various tactile formats from gentle touching(as low as 2 kPa)to hard pressuring.The 3D printing patterned substrate allows to cast triboelectric layers of polydimethylsiloxane in an independent sensing manner for each unit,which greatly suppresses the cross talk arising from adjacent sensing units,where the maximum crosstalk output is only 10.8%.The excellent uniformity and reproducibility of the sensor array offer precise pressure mapping for complicated pattern loadings,which demonstrates its potential in tactile sensing and human-machine interfaces.展开更多
基金sponsored by the Regional Joint Fund of the National Science Foundation of China via Grant No. U21A20492the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) via Grant No. 62275041+2 种基金the Sichuan Science and Technology Program via Grant Nos. 2022YFH0081, 2022YFG0012 and 2022YFG0013the Sichuan Youth Software Innovation Project Funding via Grant No. MZGC20230068the Sichuan Province Key Laboratory of Display Science and Technology。
文摘Organic electrochemical transistors(OECTs) exhibit significant potential for applications in healthcare and human-machine interfaces, due to their tunable synthesis, facile deposition, and excellent biocompatibility. Expanding OECTs to the fexible devices will significantly facilitate stable contact with the skin and enable more possible bioelectronic applications. In this work,we summarize the device physics of fexible OECTs, aiming to offer a foundational understanding and guidelines for material selection and device architecture. Particular attention is paid to the advanced manufacturing approaches, including photolithography and printing techniques, which establish a robust foundation for the commercialization and large-scale fabrication. And abundantly demonstrated examples ranging from biosensors, artificial synapses/neurons, to bioinspired nervous systems are summarized to highlight the considerable prospects of smart healthcare. In the end, the challenges and opportunities are proposed for fexible OECTs. The purpose of this review is not only to elaborate on the basic design principles of fexible OECTs, but also to act as a roadmap for further exploration of wearable OECTs in advanced bio-applications.
文摘Background:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)has a rich and complex tumor immune microenvironment(TIME).M2 macrophages are among the most extensively infiltrated immune cells in the TIME and are necessary for the growth and migration of cancers.However,the mechanisms and targets mediating M2 macrophage infiltration in pancreatic cancer remain elusive.Methods:The M2 macrophage infiltration score of patients was assessed using the xCell algorithm.Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA),module genes associated with M2 macrophages were identified,and a predictive model was designed.The variations in immunological cell patterns,cancer mutations,and enrichment pathways between the cohorts with the high-and low-risk were examined.Additionally,the expression of FCGR3A and RNASE2,as well as their association with M2 macrophages were evaluated using the HPA,TNMplot,and GEPIA2 databases and verified by tissue immunofluorescence staining.Moreover,in vitro cell experiments were conducted,where FCGR3A was knocked down in pancreatic cancer cells using siRNA to analyze its effects on M2 macrophage infiltration,tumor proliferation,and metastasis.Results:The prognosis of patients in high-risk and low-risk groups was successfully distinguished using a prognostic risk score model of M2 macrophage-related genes(p=0.024).Between the high-and low-risk cohorts,there have been notable variations in immune cell infiltration patterns,tumor mutations,and biological functions.The risk score was linked to the manifestation of prevalent immunological checkpoints,immunological scores,and stroma values(all p<0.05).In vitro experiments and tissue immunofluorescence staining revealed that FCGR3A can promote the infiltration or polarization of M2 macrophages and enhance tumor proliferation and migration.Conclusions:In this study,an M2 macrophage-related pancreatic cancer risk score model was established,and found that FCGR3A was correlated with tumor formation,metastasis,and M2 macrophage infiltration.
基金the City University of Hong Kong,China(Nos.9610423,9667199,and 9667221)Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(No.21210820)+2 种基金Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission,China(No.JCYJ20200109110201713)Science and Technology of Sichuan Province,China(No.2020YFH0181)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2019TQ0051).
文摘Sweat could be a carrier of informative biomarkers for health status identification;therefore,wearable sweat sensors have attracted significant attention for research.An external power source is an important component of wearable sensors,however,the current power supplies,i.e.,batteries,limit further shrinking down the size of these devices and thus limit their application areas and scenarios.Herein,we report a stretchable self-powered biosensor with epidermal electronic format that enables the in situ detec-tion of lactate and glucose concentration in sweat.Enzymatic biofuel cells serve as self-powered sensing modules allowing the sweat sensor to exhibit a determination coefficient(R2)of 0.98 with a sensitivity of 2.48 mV/mM for lactate detection,and R2 of 0.96 with a sensitivity of 0.11 mV/μM for glucose detection.The microfluidic channels developed in an ultra-thin soft flexible polydimethylsiloxane layer not only enable the effective collection of sweat,but also provide excellent mechanical properties with stable performance output even under 30%stretching.The presented soft sweat sensors can be integrated at nearly any location of the body for the continuous monitoring of lactate and glucose changes during normal daily activities such as exercise.Our results provide a promising approach to develop next-generation sweat sensors for real-time and in situ sweat analysis.
基金Specialized Project of Fuwai Hospital,Grant/Award Number:2022-FWTS07Shenzhen Sanming Project of Medicine,Grant/Award Number:2016-SZZF02+1 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Number:81900343CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences,Grant/Award Number:CIFMS,2021-I2M-C&T-A-011。
文摘Background:To understand the relationship between myocardial contractility and ex-ternal stimuli,detecting ex vivo myocardial contractility is necessary.Methods:We elaborated a method for contractility detection of isolated C57 mouse papillary muscle using Myostation-Intact system under different frequencies,volt-ages,and calcium concentrations.Results:The results indicated that the basal contractility of the papillary muscle was 0.27±0.03 mN at 10 V,500-ms pulse duration,and 1 Hz.From 0.1 to 1.0 Hz,con-tractility decreased with an increase in frequency(0.45±0.11-0.10±0.02 mN).The voltage-initiated muscle contractility varied from 3 to 6 V,and the contractility gradu-ally increased as the voltage increased from 6 to 10 V(0.14±0.02-0.28±0.03 mN).Moreover,the muscle contractility increased when the calcium concentration was increased from 1.5 to 3 mM(0.45±0.17-1.11±0.05 mN);however,the contractility stopped increasing even when the concentration was increased to 7.5 mM(1.02±0.23 mN).Conclusions:Our method guaranteed the survivability of papillary muscle ex vivo and provided instructions for Myostation-Intact users for isolated muscle contractility investigations.
基金the City University of Hong Kong(Grant Nos.9610423,9667199,9667221,9680322)Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(Grant Nos.21210820,11213721)+5 种基金Hong Kong Center for Cerebra-Cardiovascular Health Engineering,Tencent Robotics X(Grant No.9231409)Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission(Grant No.JCYJ20200109110201713)Science and Technology of Sichuan Province(Grant No.2020YFH0181)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.12072057)LiaoNing Revitalization Talents Program(Grant No.XLYC2007196)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.DUT20RC⑶032).
文摘Skin-integrated electronics,also known as electronic skin(e-skin);are rapidly developing and are gradually being adopted in biomedical fields as well as in our daily lives.E-skin capable of providing sensitive and high-resolution tactile sensations and haptic feedback to the human body would open a new e-skin paradigm for closed-loop human-machine interfaces.Here,we report a class of materials and mechanical designs for the miniaturization of mechanical actuators and strategies for their integration into thin,soft e-skin for haptic interfaces.The mechanical actuators exhibit small dimensions of 5 mm diameter and 1.45 mm thickness and work in an electromagnetically driven vibrotactile mode with resonance frequency overlapping the most sensitive frequency of human skin.Nine mini actuators can be integrated simultaneously in a small area of 2 cm×2 cm to form a 3×3 haptic feedback array,which is small and compact enough to mount on a thumb tip.Furthermore,the thin,soft haptic interface exhibits good mechanical properties that work properly during stretching,bending,and twisting and therefore can conformally fit onto various parts of the human body to afford programmable tactile enhancement and Braille recognition with an accuracy rate over 85%.
基金supported by City University of Hong Kong (Grants No.9667199,9667221,9680322)Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Grant No.21210820,11213721)Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission (Grant No.JCYJ20200109110201713).
文摘Thin,soft,and skin-integrated electronic system has great advantages for realizing continuous human healthcare monitoring.Here,we report an ultra-thin,flexible,and garment-based microelectronics powered by sweat-activated batteries(SABs)and applications of powering biosensors and microelectronic systems for real time sweat monitoring.The SAB cell is ultra-thin(1.25 mm)with excellent biocompatibility.The SAB has good electricity output with high capacity(14.33 mAh)and maximum power density(3.17 mW cm^(−2))after being activated by the sweat volume of 0.045 mL cm^(−2),which could continuously power 120 light emitting diodes over 3 h.The outputs could maintain stable after repeatable bending.Wireless microelectronics system could be continuously powered by the SABs for 3 h to monitor sweat and physiological information,including sweat Na+concentration,pH,and skin impedance.The reported integrated system provides a potential for solving the power issues of flexible wearable electronics and realizing personalized medicine.
基金This work was also sponsored by InnoHK Project on Project 2.2-artificial intelligent(Al)-based 3D ultrasound imaging algorithm at Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-Cardiovascular Health Engineering(CoCHE),Center of Flexible Electronics Technology,and Qiantang Science and Technology Innovation Center.
文摘Wearable sweat sensors are gaining significant attention due to their unparalleled potential for noninvasive health monitoring.Sweat,as a kind of body fluid,contains informative physiological indicators that are related to personalized health status.Advances in wearable sweat sampling and routing technologies,flexible,and stretchable materials,and wireless digital technologies have led to the development of integrated sweat sensors that are comfortable,flexible,light,and intelligent.Herein,we report a flexible and integrated wearable device via incorporating a microfluidic system and a sensing chip with skin-integrated electronic format toward in-situ monitoring of uric acid(UA)in sweat that associates with gout,cardiovascular,and renal diseases.The microfluidic system validly realizes the real-time capture perspiration from human skin.The obtained detection range is 5-200μM and the detection limit is 1.79μM,which offers an importance diagnostic method for clinical relevant lab test.The soft and flexible features of the constructed device allows it to be mounted onto nearly anywhere on the body.We tested the sweat UA in diverse subjects and various body locations during exercise,and similar trends were also observed by using a commercial UA assay kit.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation of China(U21A20492,Grant Nos.62171069,62275041,and 62122002)the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2018YFB0407102)+5 种基金the Sichuan Science and Technology Program(Grant Nos.2022YFH0081,2022YFG0012,and 2022YFG0013)the Open Project of Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory of display science and technology(ZYGX2022K018)the Program of Chongqing Science&Technology Commission(cstc2019jcyj-msxmX0877,cstc2019jscxfxydX0048,and cstc2019jcyjjqX0021)Cooperation projects between universities at Chongqing and institutes affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences(HZ2021019)the Scientific and Technological Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission(KJZD-K201901302,KJQN201901348,and KJCX2020048)the City University of Hong Kong(Grant Nos.9667221 and 9680322).
文摘Muscle groups perform their functions in the human body via bilateral muscle actuation,which brings bionic inspiration to artificial robot design.Building soft robotic systems with artificial muscles and multiple control dimensions could be an effective means to develop highly controllable soft robots.Here,we report a bilateral actuator with a bilateral deformation function similar to that of a muscle group that can be used for soft robots.To construct this bilateral actuator,a low-cost VHB 4910 dielectric elastomer was selected as the artificial muscle,and polymer films manufactured with specific shapes served as the actuator frame.By end-to-end connecting these bilateral actuators,a gear-shaped 3D soft robot with diverse motion capabilities could be developed,benefiting from adjustable actuation combinations.Lying on the ground with all feet on the ground,a crawling soft robot with dexterous movement along multiple directions was realized.Moreover,the directional steering was instantaneous and efficient.With two feet standing on the ground,it also acted as a rolling soft robot that can achieve bidirectional rolling motion and climbing motion on a 2°slope.Finally,inspired by the orbicularis oris muscle in the mouth,a mouthlike soft robot that could bite and grab objects 5.3 times of its body weight was demonstrated.The bidirectional function of a single actuator and the various combination modes among multiple actuators together allow the soft robots to exhibit diverse functionalities and flexibility,which provides a very valuable reference for the design of highly controllable soft robots.
基金sponsored by the Regional Joint Fund of the National Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U21A20492)the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2018YFB0407102)+6 种基金the City University of Hong Kong(Grant Nos 9667221,9680322)the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(Grant No.21210820,11213721)the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission(Grant No.JCYJ20200109110201713)the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing Municipality(Grant No.cstc2019jcyjjqX0021)the Science and Technology Innovation Leading Talents Program of Chongqing Municipality(No:T04040012)Science and Technology of Sichuan Province(Grant No.2020YFH0181)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFQ(Grant Nos.U21A20492,62122002).
文摘Origami has become an optimal methodological choice for creating complex three-dimensional(3D)structures and soft robots.The simple and low-cost origami-inspired folding assembly provides a new method for developing 3D soft robots,which is ideal for future intelligent robotic systems.Here,we present a series of materials,structural designs,and fabrication methods for developing independent,electrically controlled origami 3D soft robots for walking and soft manipulators.The 3D soft robots are based on soft actuators,which are multilayer structures with a dielectric elastomer(DE)film as the deformation layer and a laser-cut PET film as the supporting flexible frame.The triangular and rectangular design of the soft actuators allows them to be easily assembled into crawling soft robots and pyramidal-and square-shaped 3D structures.The crawling robot exhibits very stable crawling behaviors and can carry loads while walking.Inspired by origami folding,the pyramidal and square-shaped 3D soft robots exhibit programmable out-of-plane deformations and easy switching between two-dimensional(2D)and 3D structures.The electrically controllable origami deformation allows the 3D soft robots to be used as soft manipulators for grasping and precisely locking 3D objects.This work proves that origami-inspired fold-based assembly of DE actuators is a good reference for the development of soft actuators and future intelligent multifunctional soft robots.
基金The Foundation of National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Number:61421002City University of Hong Kong,Grant/Award Numbers:9678274,9667221,9680322+5 种基金Research Grants Council of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,Grant/Award Numbers:21210820,11213721,11215722Regional Joint Fund of the National Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Number:U21A20492The Sichuan Science and Technology Program,Grant/Award Numbers:2022YFH0081,2022YFG0012,2022YFG0013The Sichuan Province Key Laboratory of Display Science and TechnologyInnoHK Project on Project 2.2—AI-based 3D ultrasound imaging algorithm at Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-Cardiovascular Health Engineering(COCHE)RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme,Grant/Award Number:SRFS2122-5S04.
文摘Expanding wearable technologies to artificial tactile perception will be of significance for intelligent human-machine interface,as neuromorphic sensing devices are promising candidates due to their low energy consumption and highly effective operating properties.Skin-compatible and conformable features are required for the purpose of realizing wearable artificial tactile perception.Here,we report an intrinsically stretchable,skin-integrated neuromorphic system with triboelectric nanogenerators as tactile sensing and organic electrochemical transistors as information processing.The integrated system provides desired sensing,synaptic,and mechanical characteristics,such as sensitive response(~0.04 kPa^(-1))to low-pressure,short-and long-term synaptic plasticity,great switching endurance(>10000 pulses),symmetric weight update,together with high stretchability of 100%strain.With neural encoding,demonstrations are capable of recognizing,extracting,and encoding features of tactile information.This work provides a feasible approach to wearable,skin-conformable neuromorphic sensing system with great application prospects in intelligent robotics and replacement prosthetics.
基金This work was supported in part by InnoHK Project on Project 2.2-AI-based 3D ultrasound imaging algorithm at Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-cardiovascular Health Engineering(COCHE),in part by Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(21210820,and 11213721)in part by Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission(JCYJ20200109110201713)in part by National Natural Science Foundation of China(62122002,and U21A20492).
文摘With the requirements of self-powering sensors in flexible electronics,wearable triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs)have attracted great attention due to their advantages of excellent electrical outputs and low-cost processing routes.The crosstalk effect between adjacent sensing units in TENGs significantly limits the pixel density of sensor arrays.Here,we present a skin-integrated,flexible TENG sensor array with 100 sensing units in an overall size of 7.5 cm×7.5 cm that can be processed in a simple,low-cost,and scalable way enabled by 3D printing.All the sensing units show good sensitivity of 0.11 V/kPa with a wide range of pressure detection from 10 to 65 kPa,which allows to accurately distinguish various tactile formats from gentle touching(as low as 2 kPa)to hard pressuring.The 3D printing patterned substrate allows to cast triboelectric layers of polydimethylsiloxane in an independent sensing manner for each unit,which greatly suppresses the cross talk arising from adjacent sensing units,where the maximum crosstalk output is only 10.8%.The excellent uniformity and reproducibility of the sensor array offer precise pressure mapping for complicated pattern loadings,which demonstrates its potential in tactile sensing and human-machine interfaces.
