(April 8, 2015) New
research shows how inkjet-printing technology can be used to mass-produce
electronic circuits made of liquid-metal alloys for "soft robots" and
flexible electronics.
Elastic technologies could make possible a new class of
pliable robots and stretchable garments that people might wear to interact with
computers or for therapeutic purposes. However, new manufacturing techniques
must be developed before soft machines become commercially feasible, said
Rebecca Kramer, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue
University.