SFA-AM - Strategic Focus Area Advanced Manufacturing
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D-SENSE

Digital Manufacturing of 3D-Printed Wearable Sensors
Recently 3D-printing has made strong progress and is applied to the fabrication of various structural elements. One of the key challenges for the full exploitation of the potential of the technology is to integrate the printing of functional layers into the process chain. Implementation of sensing components by printing during their fabrication would make the 3D-printed objects smarter. At the same time, sensors production would benefit – thanks to their digital manufacturing in the 3rd dimension – from customization, self-packaging and better integration into products.
The project aims to solve one key challenge of integration of sensors into products: Enabling the integration of functional sensing layers into the fabrication process of 3D-printed objects. The objective is to apply digital printing of functional and structural inks targeting the whole processing in a single tool.
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D-SENSE project overview, Source: LMTS, EPFL

Scope of Research Activities
Materials development
  • Development of 3D printing inks with optimized rheological properties
  • Development of cellulose-based composite inks for wearable applications
  • Development of functional inks for printing sensors and transfer of passive/silicon electronics
Process development
  • Printing of electrical conductors on complex 3D printed soft structures
  • Printing physical resistive, capacitive and triboelectric sensors in soft 3D printed parts
  • Methods to integrate passive and silicon components in soft 3D printed parts
Characterization and testing
  • 3D-printed biocompatible and breathable cellulose composite elastomers
  • Printed mechanical sensors in soft 3D printed parts
  • Knee pad with integrated sensors compatible with wireless communication
  • Knee pad performance on the human body

Key Technical Problems to Solve
  • Processing of conformal polymer composites with locally controlled mechanical properties
  • Processing of electrical conductors on temperature sensitive polymeric composite materials
  • Morphological, adhesion and electrical properties for multi-layer stacks on variable surface chemistry, roughness and topography
  • Process compatibility: printing and curing/sintering of functional and structural materials
  • Process integration of printed functional materials and silicon components within 3D-printed materials
  • Electrical interconnections of multi-layer stack of printed sensors, silicon components, antenna, battery
  • Robustness and reliability of the functional 3D-printed soft wearables under mechanical deformation

Demonstrator
  • Knee pad that is equipped with integrated mechanical sensors, that is compatible with wireless communication and that will be in perfect contact with the skin of the patient

Linked Scientific Publications

2023
  • Binelli, M. R., R. van Dommelen, Y. Nagel, J. Kim, R. I. Haque, F. B. Coulter, G. Siqueira, A. R. Studart and D. Briand (2023). "Digital manufacturing of personalised footwear with embedded sensors." Scientific Reports 13(1): 1962.

2022
  • Binelli, M. R., A. Kan, L. E. A. Rozas, G. Pisaturo, N. Prakash and A. R. Studart (2022). "Complex Living Materials Made by Light-Based Printing of Genetically Programmed Bacteria." Advanced Materials: 2207483.
  • Binelli, M. R., P. A. Rühs, G. Pisaturo, S. Leu, E. Trachsel and A. R. Studart (2022). "Living materials made by 3D printing cellulose-producing bacteria in granular gels." Biomaterials Advances 141: 213095.
  • Müller, L. A. E., A. Demongeot, J. Vaucher, Y. Leterrier, J. Avaro, M. Liebi, A. Neels, I. Burgert, T. Zimmermann, G. Nyström and G. Siqueira (2022). "Photoresponsive Movement in 3D Printed Cellulose Nanocomposites." ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 14(14): 16703-16717.

2021
  • van Dommelen, R., R. I. Haque, O. Chandran, S. Lani and D. Briand (2021). "In-situ laser sintering for the fabrication of fully 3D printed electronics composed of elastomeric materials." Flexible and Printed Electronics 6(4): 045003.
Leading Principal Investigator
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Dr. Danick Briand
Soft Transducers Laboratory (LMTS), EPFL


Project Consortium
  • Prof. Dr. André Studart
    Complex Materials Laboratory, ETH Zürich
  • Dr. Gilberto de Freitas Sequeira
    Laboratory for Applied Wood Materials, Empa
  • Dr. Sébastien Lani
    Micro & Nano Systems, CSEM
  • Prof. Dr. Brigitte Jolles-Haeberli
    Swiss Biomotion Laboratory, CHUV
    (University Hospital in Lausanne)
An initiative of the ETH Board
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Participating Institutions of the ETH Domain
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Disclaimer
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© COPYRIGHT 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Focus Areas
    • Focus Areas 2017-2020 >
      • Precision Free-Form Manufacturing
      • Printed Electronics
      • Sustainable Digital Manufacturing and Design
      • Sensing Technologies
      • Intelligent Systems and Advanced Automation
    • Focus Areas 2021-2024 >
      • Manufacturing Technologies
      • Functionality Integration
      • Sensing Technologies
      • Intelligent Systems and Advanced Automation
  • Projects
    • Projects Initial Program 2017-2020 >
      • Ceramic X.0
      • FUORCLAM
      • Powder Focusing
      • PREAMPA
      • FOXIP
      • CFRP-AM
      • SD4D
    • Projects Expansion Program 2017-2020 >
      • D-SENSE
      • MOCONT
      • Nano Assembly
      • SOL4BAT
    • Projects Program 2021-2024 >
      • AMYS
      • ClosedLoop-LM
      • DiPrintProtect
      • MANUFHAPTICS
      • Microfluidics
      • Multi-Mat
      • SCALAR
      • SMARTAM
  • Investments
    • Capacity Buildup >
      • ALIVE Initiative
      • ANAXAM Center
      • M2C Platform
      • Professorships
    • Technology Platforms >
      • Synthesis & Fabrication
      • Characterization & Measurement
  • Events
    • Annual Meetings >
      • Annual Review Meeting 2024
      • Annual Review Meeting 2023
      • Annual Review Meeting 2022
      • Annual Review Meeting 2021
      • Annual Review Meeting 2020
      • Annual Review Meeting 2019
      • Annual Review Meeting 2018
    • Industry Workshops >
      • Sensors
    • Other Events >
      • Joint Initiatives AMKT Event
      • CERAMIC X.0 Workshop
      • Workshop 13 July 2020
      • Launch Event 13 Nov 2017
      • Workshop 6 July 2017
      • Workshop 17 Oct 2016
    • SAMCE
  • About
    • Steering Committee
    • Participating ETH Institutions
    • Calls & Selection >
      • Initial Program 2017-2020
      • Expansion Program 2017-2020
      • Continuation Program 2021-2024
  • Contact