FabFoam: Fabricating Soft Interactive Devices with Foam Through Functional Patterning

FabFoam: Fabricating Soft Interactive Devices with Foam Through Functional Patterning | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article FabFoam: Fabricating Soft Interactive Devices with Foam Through Functional Patterning Sutirtha Roy, Aditya Gunturu, Moshfiq-Us-Saleheen Chowdhury, Theo JL Farrell, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7412076/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Foam is a soft, malleable, and highly deformable substrate suited for creating interactive devices. However, prior work has mostly focused on deformation sensing by dipping foam in conductive inks. We present the first exploration of printing high-resolution functional patterns on foam, enabling multifunctional interactive devices beyond deformation sensing. Due to foam’s porosity, printing precise patterns is challenging as inks tend to seep through. Through systematic exploration, we contribute the formulation of functional inks with minimal seepage, low-temperature curing, and easy lab preparation. We then contribute the fabrication of biochemical sensors, electrotactile devices, and deformation sensors. Technical and user evaluations show FabFoam’s glucose sensors detect sweat glucose at an activation voltage of 0.45 V, with a sensitivity of 2.74 µA/µM and a resolution of 4.67 µM. FabFoam tactile devices deliver perceivable electrotactile feedback, and our technique supports a minimum patterning resolution of 0.5 mm spacing and 1 mm trace width across foam types. We present a set of application scenarios demonstrating the versatility of FabFoam. Materials Engineering Biomedical Engineering Materials Chemistry Electrochemistry Electronic Materials and Devices Electrical Engineering On-Body Interaction Epidermal Interfaces Wearables Haptics Physiological Sensing Electrochemical Devices Sensing Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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