System for Printing High-Deformation Sensors into Fabric Substrates

The manufacture of flexible electronics that exhibit the durability necessary for use on fabric substrates has always been a challenge. Wearable circuitry needs to exhibit an appropriate flexibility, durability, and adhesion to fabric substrates to be useful, yet present techniques rely on adhering electronics to fabric surfaces through resource-intensive processes that result in relatively delicate products with limited usefulness.

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a single-process manufacturing method, similar to 3D printing, which enables the rapid manufacture of wearable electronics at a fraction of the cost. This method prints flexible sensors into a fabric substrate resulting in embedded sensing devices with dramatic increases in sophistication and resilience. This discovery extends to the production of multi-material sensors in a single manufacturing step, sets the stage for the next generation of wearable electronics with greater sensitivity and durability, and leads to the possibility of many new, more capable applications.

Advantages:

-Single-step manufacturing

-Increased sensitivity

-Inexpensive and smarter circuitry integrated into fabrics

Potential Applications:

-Manufacture of flexible, substrate embedded electronics

-Wearable electronics

-Health monitoring

-Quantified self

-Security/defense

TRL: 4

Intellectual Property:

Keywords: flexible electronics, durable electronics, wearable circuitry, fabric substrates, 3D printing electronics, single-process manufacturing, embedded sensing devices, multi-material sensors, health monitoring, quantified self