该研究团队开发了一种可伸缩纤维形式的流体泵,能够将压力源直接集成到纺织品中,实现了无线可穿戴的流体控制。这种泵由连续螺旋电极嵌入薄弹性管道壁内组成,通过电荷注入电流电动力学原理静音下产生压力。每米纤维可产生100千帕的压力,流量接近55毫升/分钟,相当于15瓦/千克的功率密度。此外,这种泵的设计自由度相当大,可以实现可穿戴触觉、机械活性织物和温调纺织品等应用。
据介绍,将加压流体电路融入纺织品中可以在便捷的可穿戴形式中实现肌肉支撑、温度调节和触觉反馈。然而,常规的刚性泵由于其产生的噪音和振动而不适用于大多数可穿戴设备。
附:英文原文
Title: Fiber pumps for wearable fluidic systems
Author: Michael Smith, Vito Cacucciolo, Herbert Shea
Issue&Volume: 2023-03-31
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.
DOI: ade8654
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade8654