The low-cost FibeRobo, which is compatible with existing textile manufacturing techniques, could be used in adaptive performance wear or compression garments.
Researchers used a material known as liquid crystal elastomer . The thick and viscous LCE resin is heated, and then slowly squeezed through a nozzle like that of a glue gun. As the resin comes out, it is cured carefully using UV lights that shine on both sides of the slowly extruding fiber. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers
The MIT researchers used FibeRobo to demonstrate several applications, including an adaptive sports bra made by embroidery that tightens when the user begins exercising. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers However, the researchers discovered that making fiber from LCE resin is a finicky process. Existing techniques often result in a fused mass that is impossible to unspool.Forman built a machine using 3D-printed and laser-cut parts and basic electronics to overcome the fabrication challenges. He initially built the machine as part of the graduate-level course MAS.865 .
From chemical synthesis to finished spool, the process takes about a day and produces approximately a kilometer of ready-to-use fiber. The resulting fiber, called FibeRobo, can contract up to 40 percent without bending, actuate at skin-safe temperatures , and be produced with a low-cost setup for 20 cents per meter, which is about 60 times cheaper than commercially available shape-changing fibers.
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