US 11,682,276 B2 · Multi-site damage sensing and localization soft-matter electronics and related systems and methods

Abstract

Soft-matter technologies are essential for emerging applications in wearable computing, human-machine interaction, and soft robotics. However, as these technologies gain adoption in society and interact with unstructured environments, material and structure damage becomes inevitable. A robotic material that mimics soft tissues found in biological systems may be used to identify, compute, and respond to damage. This material includes liquid metal droplets dispersed in soft elastomers that rupture when damaged to create electrically conductive pathways that are identified with a soft active-matrix grid. These technologies may be used to autonomously identify damage, calculate severity, and respond to prevent failure within robotic systems.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A liquid metal embedded elastomer composite material comprising:

a polymer;
a plurality of droplets comprising a liquid metal dispersed within the polymer;
and
at least one electrically conductive array comprising a conductive material applied to a surface of the polymer;
and
optionally, a polymer sealing layer applied to the surface of the at least one electrically conductive array;
wherein the material is insulating when the plurality of droplets is not ruptured, and
wherein the material is conductive when at least a portion of the plurality of droplets is ruptured.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

17/095,564Filed 11 Nov 2020 · us provisional application

Priority

11 Nov 2019

Published

US 2021/0209906 A18 Jul 2021

Granted

20 Jun 2023

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

C08L 75/04
Compositions of polyureas or polyurethanes; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers: polyurethanes
G08B 7/06
Signalling systems according to two or more of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00: using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible…
B05D 1/02
Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials: performed by spraying
B05D 1/322
Using means for protecting parts of a surface not to be coated, e.g. using stencils, resists: removable films used as masks

Multi-site damage sensing and localization soft-matter electronics and related systems and methods

Life of this patent

Multi-site damage sensing and localization soft-matter electronics and related systems and methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20