3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / News / Harvard Researchers 3D Print Stretchable Wearable Electronics Using Hybrid Technique
Join our mailing list

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Harvard Researchers 3D Print Stretchable Wearable Electronics Using Hybrid Technique

September 7, 2017

With the use of hybrid 3D printing, researchers are creating types of electronics that we’ve never seen before. Case in point, wearable electronics. A team of researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have combined hard and soft electronic elements into durable and stretchable sensors. These sensors are a leap forward for creating completely flexible electronic goods.

Harvard Researchers 3D Print Stretchable Wearable Electronics Using Hybrid Technique
Related Story
Flexible Transparent Circuits 3D Printed Using Nanowires

The researchers achieve this effect by first printing a stretchable conductive ink. After tuning the inks to their proper resistance, they then place electronic components at precise spots. The researchers then mount this arrangement onto a stretchable fabric.

This allows them to not only make electronics that operates whilst being flexible, but also reacts to elastic stress. The researchers made a machine that measures an amount of stress the fabric is under. It can achieve this because when the ink stretches it increases the ink’s resistance. They illustrated this by using the machine to measure the strain of bending one’s arm.

3D Printing Flexible Substrates For Soft Electronics

The researchers fabricated soft sensors using our hybrid 3D printing method, which allows stretchable conductive inks and soft matrices to be printed and integrated with surface mount electrical components, such as LEDs, resistors, and microprocessors.

The 3D printing material is made from TPU mixed with silver flakes. TPU is a natural fit for this project because of how flexible it is. During the print the silver flakes align themselves along the printing direction so that they overlap each other like plates. The TPU parts distribute the stress so that all of the solid parts adhere to the surface.

3D Printed Wearable Electronic Textile
Related Story
Research Group in India Develops Wearable Electronic Textiles With Military Applications

This arrangement allows the whole machine to be stretched by 30% and maintain all of its functions. Wearable electronics are somewhat of a holy grail many companies are chasing. The Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate and UES, the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship Program under the Office of Naval Research, a generous donation from the GETTYLAB are all supporting the work and looking to implement it into their operations in the future.

“This new method is a great example of the type of cross-disciplinary collaborative work that distinguishes the Wyss Institute from many other research labs,” added Wyss Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., who is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, as well as a Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard SEAS. “By combining the physical precision of 3D printing with the digital programmability of electronic components, we are literally building the future.”

All images courtesy of Wyss Institute Harvard

Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
Latest posts

Researchers Create New Method for 3D Printing Bridge

Researchers from institutes in Germany and the Netherlands have been working on a method of creating complex geometries in construction. The end result... read more »

Construction
Researchers Create New Method for 3D Printing Bridge

New Material Advances 3D Printed Bone Replacements

Daniel Bomze, Director of Medical Solutions at Lithoz, discussed their novel Lithabone HA 480 material for 3D printed bone replacements in a recent... read more »

Materials
New Material Advances 3D Printed Bone Replacements

Nanoparticle Visualization through 3D Printing

Anne Bentley, an associate professor at Lewis & Clark College, has pioneered a method to visually represent nanoparticles using 3D printed models. Nanoparticles,... read more »

News
Nanoparticle Visualization through 3D Printing

OZRUH 3D Prints Furniture from Recyclable Quartz Sand

London-based architectural design studio OZRUH recently unveiled the PRIMITIVES [1] furniture collection, uniquely crafted from 3D printed quartz sand. This material choice reflects... read more »

News
OZRUH 3D Prints Furniture from Recyclable Quartz Sand

Understanding Solute Trapping in 3D Printing

A recent study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London offers insights into the solute transport and solidification mechanisms in additive... read more »

News
Understanding Solute Trapping in 3D Printing

Researchers Study Use of Graphene Oxide in 3D Printed Concrete

A collaborative study by RMIT University and the University of Melbourne has explored the impact of graphene oxide on 3D printed concrete. This... read more »

Construction
Researchers Study Use of Graphene Oxide in 3D Printed Concrete

Oerlikon to Relocate AM Business to North Carolina

Oerlikon, headquartered in Switzerland, is set to realign its additive manufacturing business by consolidating its AM production in Huntersville, North Carolina, USA. This... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Oerlikon to Relocate AM Business to North Carolina

3D Printed Xchair: Merging Ergonomics and Metaverse Aesthetics

Artist Ben Elliot and 3D printing specialists Nagami have unveiled the Xchair, a lounge chair that marries ergonomics with metaverse aesthetics. This piece... read more »

Art
3D Printed Xchair: Merging Ergonomics and Metaverse Aesthetics

SWISSto12 and Thales Join Forces for Advanced Antenna Technology

SWISSto12, a Swiss-based company specializing in additively manufactured antenna and RF systems, is collaborating with French firm Thales to develop Active Electronically Steerable... read more »

3D Printing Metal
SWISSto12 and Thales Join Forces for Advanced Antenna Technology

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
  • Modix BIG-120X Modix BIG-120X
    1200 x 600 x 660 mm
    from $7,500
    Request a Quote
  • Modix BIG-180X Modix BIG-180X
    1800 x 600 x 600 mm
    from $15,500
    Request a Quote
  • Modix BIG-60 Modix BIG-60
    600 x 600 x 660 mm
    from $4,900
    Request a Quote
  • Modix BIG-120Z Modix BIG-120Z
    600 x 600 x 1200 mm
    from $7,500
    Request a Quote
  • Modix BIG Meter Modix BIG Meter
    980 x 1000 x 1000 mm
    from $13,500
    Request a Quote
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Creality K1

    • - Print size: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $519.00 Amazon
    Buy Now
  • Anycubic Photon M5S

    • - Print size: 218 x 123 x 200 mm
    • - 19 micron print accuracy
    More details »
    $599.99 Amazon
    Buy Now
  • Bambu Lab X1 Carbon AMS Combo

    • - Print size: 256 x 256 x 256 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $1,499.00 MatterHackers
    Buy Now
  • Best 3D Printers 2023 – Buyers Guide

    Best 3D Printers 2023 – Buyers Guide

    View Post
  • 3D Printers for Beginners

    3D Printers for Beginners

    View Post

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2023 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing