Traditionally, traditional "intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance" (ISR) sensors are always made up of bulky antennas and large boxes that need to be fixed in place. Researchers at the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Harvard University are looking to shrink sensors to band-aid sizes, creating new possibilities for sensor and sensor applications. For example, the electronic components of the sensor are digitally "printed" into a sheet-like, bendable, stretchable elastomeric material. The price of this sensor may be cheaper than traditional products, but the real significance is to break through the limitations of traditional sensors, significantly reducing the weight of the next generation of ISR. Researchers at AFRL and Harvard's Weiss Bio-Inspired Engineering Institute said they have developed ways to implement this vision. The technical details have been published in the Advanced Materials magazine and are now being developed for practical applications. "Hybrid 3D printing" technology uses additive manufacturing to combine soft conductive inks with substrates to form flexible electronic components use Comcn Electronics Limited , https://www.comencnspeaker.com
The Air Force envisions this new type of sensor with a range of potential uses. For example, a slim elastic strip can replace the large box sensor on the aircraft, saving space and load. At the same time, they can also reduce the maintenance burden. For example, the maintenance work around the oil tank of the fuel dispenser is very complicated. It requires several people to remove the oil bladder from the aircraft to find the loophole. If a new flexible sensor is installed on the oil bladder, the maintenance cost can be reduced and the maintenance can be shortened. cycle.
Other services can also benefit from it. Researchers are investigating how new sensors can enhance infantry capabilities, such as using wearable electronics to sense fatigue and exercise, by monitoring gait or observing how the arms bend, providing better physical assessment and a deeper understanding of their physical capabilities and limitations. In addition, printed electronics can be used not only as sensors, but researchers are also exploring the use of flexible media printed circuits to generate electricity.
Use commercial power
AFRL also coordinates the power of the organization's business sector through the public-private partnership NextFlex. Founded in 2015, the Alliance is working together to promote the development of flexible electronics in the US defense, industry and academia. The organization stated that its mission is to “create a compliant, scalable and intelligent product that will create an era of 'electronic everything' and increase the efficiency of the world.†AFRL officials said that this will improve the manufacturing level of hybrid electronics. . Because in addition to basic science, these capabilities need to be translated into the manufacturing capabilities of equipment and products. But this shift may take several years.
Next plan
The AFRL team stated that 3D printing technology will complete the production of “printing†electronic components within one year, but there is still some material science work to be done in developing elastic media. In their published research, the researchers used a 3D printer to create a conductive, silver-containing thermoplastic polyurethane, and then placed the microcontroller chip and LED light into a flexible substrate using pick and place methods. This is the first time that a 3D printer has printed an elastic sensor with integrated microelectronic components. The printer has printed a complete flexible circuit from scratch, enabling the combination of printed components and off-the-shelf electronics. The final product retains its functionality even if it is stretched more than 30% of its original size.