One Day You Will Be Printed With Tech Sensors #WearableWednesday #wearabletech #3Dprinting

3D Printed Tactile Sensors

Although I’ve seen conductive tattoos, creating 3D printed sensors directly on the body is something entirely different, as I’ve just discovered on Inside Science. Here’s the lead-in for their report:

Wearable technology may soon be at your fingertips — literally. Researchers have developed a pressure sensor that can be 3-D printed directly on your hand. The device, sensitive enough to feel a beating pulse, is made from soft, stretchy silicone that conforms to the curves of your fingertip.

It’s a step toward a more seamless integration of human and machine, said Michael McAlpine, a materials scientist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. His team didn’t print the device on a real hand yet — just an artificial one. “But,” he said, “it sets the stage for future work in 3-D printing electronic devices directly on the body.”

Imagine 3D printing sensors/circuits on-site, when needed, and for injuries—this will probably make my top ten list for 2017, so definitely visit their post and check out the animation of the process.


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