Researchers at NTU Singapore have created a wearable, flexible material dubbed RoboFabric that has the ability to stiffen on demand. This new technique, which was created by combining geometric design, 3D printing and robotic control, may be readily applied to medical equipment or soft robotics, such as drone limbs. Using the adaptable material, the NTU research team created an elbow support that enables users to lift larger objects. Additionally, a prototype wrist brace has been created, which may aid tremble-prone Parkinson’s disease patients by stabilizing joints for everyday tasks.
The cutting-edge wearable material modeled by armadillos and pangolins
The initial stage in creating the patent-pending technology is a sophisticated mathematical algorithm that creates an interlocking system of tiles, drawing inspiration from the way the scales of armadillos and pangolins connect to build a protective shell. Subsequently, the 3D-printed tiles are connected by either an external soft casing or metal fibers that pass through microscopic channels between them; this process necessitates the continual application of vacuum or negative air pressure. RoboFabric’s stiffness may be increased by over 350 times by contracting the fibers, which also gives the tiles more strength and stability.
The results of the study, which were published in the scholarly journal Advanced Materials, show that using a device to support joints during weightlifting may lower human muscle activity by as much as 40%. The lead researcher, Nanyang Assistant Professor Wang Yifan of the NTU School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, stated that they drew inspiration from the fact that animals frequently employ complex structures to give their limbs multiple functions, such as octopuses’ ability to change stiffness and shape. Yifan went on to say this:
They anticipate a day when patients in need of a plaster cast due to fractures would be able to customize a flexible, fabric-like limb support that will eventually solidify. They would also be simple to put on and take off with the push of a button, in contrast to traditional stiff casts that are non-removable. When used regularly, joint supports may also assist the elderly in their everyday activities by lowering the amount of muscular power required for larger weights.
In an hour, customized joint support may be 3D printed.
A 3D scan of the elbow or wrist is uploaded to proprietary software, which uses a unique algorithm to automatically break down a 3D model into thousands of geometric tiles that may be 3D printed in an hour or less, allowing users to customize the joint support. Next, the metal fibers need to be inserted through the tile gaps and attached to an electric tool that can rapidly tighten or loosen the wires. Although the threading procedure is now done by hand, the team believes that in the future it may be mechanized, much as how machines are used to re-strung badminton racquets.
RoboFabric has potential for use in medical rehabilitation
Adjunct Associate Professor Loh Yong Joo, Head and Senior Consultant at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), commented on the RoboFabric technology and said that there is potential for the NTU innovation to be used in rehabilitation medicine. This technique may be helpful in a number of situations, including those involving joint injuries, since it may enable safe modification of the range of motion while recuperating. According to Joo, who is also the Director of Clinical Innovations at TTSH, RoboFabric might help people who have upper limb motor limitation, such as stroke survivors, to carry out certain functional duties.
Joo added that people with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease may also benefit from the stability RoboFabric provides, as it stabilizes the trajectory of movement to carry out functional tasks safely. If modified for knee applications in the future, it might even function as a stabilizing orthosis to enhance gait patterns and reduce the risk of falls. RoboFabric is said to have potential applications in robotics.
