A group of scientists from South Korea develop a novel, multi-directional pressure sensor coupled with a temperature sensor using 3D printing technology that is low-cost and scalable to large-scale production of smart robotic systems. The treatment of many medical issues like abnormal gait and muscular disorders require an accurate sensing of applied pressure. In this regard, flexible pressure sensors that are simple, lightweight, and low-cost, have garnered considerable attention.

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These sensors are designed and manufactured through ‘additive manufacturing’, or what is more commonly called ‘3D printing’, using conductive polymer composites as their building blocks. However, all 3D-printed pressure sensors developed so far are limited to sensing applied forces along a single direction only. This is hardly enough for real world applications, which involve situations where forces can be applied along various angles and directions. Moreover, the electrical resistance of most conductive polymers varies with temperature and must be compensated for accurate pressure sensing. In a study published in Composites Part B: Engineering , a group of scientists led by Prof. Hoe Joon Kim from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea, have addressed this issue […]

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