It is worth noting that the various parts of the hand are pressed simultaneously and are not put together afterwards. Each of the robotic arm’s different parts are made of different polymers of varying softness and hardness, using a new laser scanning technique that allows 3D printers to create “special plastics with elastic properties” in a single pass. This clearly opens up new opportunities in the field of prosthetics and any field where the production of soft robotic structures is required.

Detail

Essentially, researchers at Inkbit have developed a method to 3D print slow-setting plastics, whereas this technology was previously used for fast-setting plastics. This hybrid printing method has many advantages over standard fast-curing designs, such as greater durability and improved elastic properties. The technology also allows for more accurate imitation of nature, as with the robotic arm mentioned above.

Robots made of soft materials, such as the hand we designed, have advantages over traditional metal robots. Because they are soft, there is less risk of injury when working with people and they are more suitable for working with breakable objects.
– Robert Katzsmann, professor of robotics at the Swiss Technical University Zurich, writes in the study.

This improvement still prints layer by layer, but the integrated scanner constantly checks the surface for irregularities before telling the system to move on to the next material type. Additionally, the extruder and scraper have been updated to allow the use of slow-setting polymers. Hardness can be fine-tuned to create unique objects suitable for different industries.

Making human limbs is just one scenario, but it is also possible to make objects that absorb noise and vibration.

Another structure printed with a new method / Photo ETH Zurich/Thomas Buchner

MIT-affiliated startup Inkbit helped develop the technology and is already thinking about how to monetize it. Soon the company will begin selling newly produced printers to manufacturers and will also sell complex 3D printed objects using this technology to smaller businesses.