Context: Many manufacturing processes used for producing sensors still have limitations, including high costs due to material and instrumentation requirements, in addition to challenges in adapting to different applications and geometries. Recent advancements in Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) have proven its potential to facilitate the fabrication of sensing devices for wearable soft electronics by using various conductive materials and exploiting different effects. Several force sensors have been developed with Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) by exploiting the change in resistance due to mechanical strain. However, little is known about the effect of stress on resistivity without mechanical deformation (piezoresistivity, or material effect), which may occur for confined, incompressible materials.
Goal: Characterisation of the piezoresistive properties of 3D printed conductive materials to be used with FFF to design a normal force sensor, considering only the material effect. The student will focus on the experimental tests to determine if the material effect could lead to a significant change in the sensor’s resistance. If it is verified, the student will be asked to optimise the geometry to develop a sensor to be embedded into a prosthetic hand, ensuring a stable grasp.
Focus: experimental with analysis based on theoretical background and modelling.
Additional info: The work is part of an ongoing collaboration with Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma