Laura Sowards1,Joseph Beckett1,2,3,Carl Thrasher4,Braeden Windham2,5,Allyson Cox5,Timothy Osborn5,Robert Lowe2
Air Force Research Laboratory1,University of Dayton2,UES, Inc.3,Massachusetts Institute of Technology4,University of Dayton Research Institute5
Laura Sowards1,Joseph Beckett1,2,3,Carl Thrasher4,Braeden Windham2,5,Allyson Cox5,Timothy Osborn5,Robert Lowe2
Air Force Research Laboratory1,University of Dayton2,UES, Inc.3,Massachusetts Institute of Technology4,University of Dayton Research Institute5
Soft robotics is a growing field which offers new avenues to exploit material properties. Soft robots composed of materials with the intrinsic ability to self-heal can extend the functional lifetime by fully or partially repairing damage with little or no external assistance. Self-healing materials also open the possibility to reconfigure a soft robot with minimal effort during its operational lifetime. There are many chemical pathways for self-healing to occur. We have investigated mechanical properties of several 3D printable, photopolymerizable resins exhibiting these self-healing chemistry pathways. Our elastomeric hydrogels with self-healing ability make resins which are well suited to be 3D DLP printed into pneumatic actuators and incorporated into touch sensors.