BioConTact · Controllably Biodegradable Conductors for Robotic Tactile Skins
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2022-04-01 → 2024-03-31
- EU contribution
- €171,473
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Controllably Biodegradable Conductors for Robotic Tactile Skins
Consumer electronics, such as laptops, smartphones, and flat-screen TVs, are widespread in European society, representing a significant business sector with numerous companies and millions of users. However, issues like scarcity, toxicity, short lifespans, and recycling complexity necessitate a shift towards more sustainable and easily disposable materials for electronics. E-waste management has become a pressing concern for national governments due to the growing stockpile, expected to reach 120 million metric tons annually by 2050, fueled by the proliferation of flexible devices and the Internet of Things. Additionally, the increasing ubiquity of robotics, crucial for Europe's prosperity, adds to the e-waste issue, particularly with humanoid robots constructed from non-biodegradable materials. Transitioning to sustainable alternatives, including tactile-sensitive biodegradable skins, represents a pivotal shift towards environmentally friendly technologies in electronics and robotics. This initiative is important for society as it fosters the convergence of green robotics and electronics, bolstering Europe's leadership in these domains. The project influence various research areas, including plastic/bioplastic and biocomposite development, while exploring alternative end-of-life solutions such as biodegradation in seawater for materials for electronics. BioConTact aims to reduce e-waste, enhance the long-term sustainability of both sectors, mitigate pollution, and align with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG9 and SDG12). The objectives of BioConTact are to create flexible electrical conductors with controllable biodegradation for applications requiring long-term stability, including human mimicking biodegradable skin for robotics. Specific goals include: 1. Develop flexible conductors with controllable degradation by formulating conductive inks using biodegradable polymers and transient metals and functionalize degradable substrates via a scalable spray-coating process. These conductors will show a tunable biodegradation in environmental conditions based on material formulations. 2. Produce biodegradable sensors, such as capacitive or piezoresistive sensors. 3. Design skins using various conductor-biopolymer combinations, optimizing their performance for applications like humanoid robotic hands.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
BioConTact will engineer electrical conductors with a controllable biodegradability that are flexible, lightweight, scalable, and produced with readily available materials. The tunable degradation will be finely controlled through the material formulation. Thus, this unique technology will be indispensable for applications where long-term stability is crucial, such as robotic skin, or those requiring environmental control of degradation, such as bioresorbable transient electronics. These conductors will be assembled as human mimicking robotic skin for the iCub, the flagship open-source robot developed by the beneficiary, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. The fellow will utilise his experience in the design of materials for sustainable electronics, exploit the supervisor’s and co-supervisor’s knowledge on biodegradation and robotic tactile sensors, and benefit from their excellent laboratories, Smart Materials and Humanoid Sensing and Perception, respectively.This research is motivated by the ever-growing need for sustainable and biodegradable materials for electronics. Consumer electronics are indeed pervasive in European society, with more than 230 million users. Yet, materials for electronics are not sustainable because of their scarcity, toxicity, and recycling complexity, which are detrimental for manufacturers, governments, and society. Besides, electronic wastes are accumulating globally and will reach a production rate of 120 million metric tons per year by 2050. Simultaneously, robotics, which are vital for a thriving European economy, are becoming omnipresent. Hence, the transition to sustainable and biodegradable alternatives to current electronics will boost the progress of environmentally friendly technologies in robotics. This transformation is in line with the 2030 European Sustainable Development Goals and the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges program that promotes a greener and sustainable European society.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA · GenovaCoordinatorItaly
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union