2023-04-06 スイス連邦工科大学ローザンヌ校(EPFL)
The fiber pumps woven into fabric © LMTS EPFL
この研究は、科学雑誌『Science』に掲載された。
＜関連情報＞
- https://actu.epfl.ch/news/thread-like-pumps-can-be-woven-into-clothes-4/
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade8654
ウェアラブル流体システム用ファイバーポンプ Fiber pumps for wearable fluidic systems
Michael Smith,Vito Cacucciolo and Herbert Shea
Science Published:30 Mar 2023
All fiber fluidics
Fibers are the basis of ropes and fabrics. With the development of advanced fibers that can act as sensors and actuators or store or harvest energy, it is possible to make fabrics with advanced functionalities. Smith et al. show that it is also possible to design fibers to pump fluids, a task otherwise left to external, bulky devices. Helical electrodes are first embedded into the walls of a tubular fiber. Then, the injection of charge using a direct current field ionizes a dielectric liquid, and the motion of ions toward the positive electrode drives fluid flow. —MSL
Abstract
Incorporating pressurized fluidic circuits into textiles can enable muscular support, thermoregulation, and haptic feedback in a convenient wearable form factor. However, conventional rigid pumps, with their associated noise and vibration, are unsuitable for most wearables. We report fluidic pumps in the form of stretchable fibers. This allows pressure sources to be integrated directly into textiles, enabling untethered wearable fluidics. Our pumps consist of continuous helical electrodes embedded within the walls of thin elastomer tubing and generate pressure silently through charge-injection electrohydrodynamics. Each meter of fiber generates 100 kilopascals of pressure, and flow rates approaching 55 milliliters per minute are possible, which is equivalent to a power density of 15 watts per kilogram. The benefits in design freedom are considerable, which we illustrate with demonstrations of wearable haptics, mechanically active fabrics, and thermoregulatory textiles.
