Multimaterial 3D printed soft robots with embedded actuation and sensing

Abstract

Soft robots require the seamless integration of actuation and sensing units to achieve autonomy and adaptability behaviors. This demands conformal, stretchable, and spatially distributed electronic components—an unmet challenge with conventional design and fabrication methods due to complex three-dimensional (3D) geometries, multimaterial integration, and mechanical-electrical mismatches between rigid electronics and soft bodies. Here, we present a design and fabrication framework for autonomous soft robots with embedded actuation and sensing. We develop an integrated digital light processing and direct ink writing 3D printing technology to fabricate soft robots with embedded and conformal 3D electronics in an automated manner. To ensure both electrical and mechanical stability under large deformation, we introduce a structural design strategy incorporating lattice metamaterials, wavy interconnects, and discretized printed circuit boards. By combining the fabrication and design methods, we demonstrate soft robots with multimodal actuation, real-time tactile sensing, wireless communication, tactile-to-visual feedback, and autonomous obstacle avoidance. Our approach paves the way for the development of electronics-integrated autonomous soft robots.