They developed a new material that can replace plaster and orthosis – Technologies – Science and technology

The new material should help people in rehabilitation as well as Parkinson’s disease patients who have problems with fine motor skills.

The new material can be used in the production of advanced orthopedic aids.

Scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University have developed a special material that can change its state from soft to solid in a fraction of a second. The material, called RoboFabric, was created using a 3D printer. It has the form of some kind of 3D tiles that are connected by metal fibers. When the fibers are free, the tiles can move freely, much like the links of a chain. But if they are pulled back, the tiles are joined into a solid structure that can be up to 350 times stiffer. Thanks to this, RoboFabric can be used in a wide variety of industries, from medicine to robots and drones.

In medicine, the material can be used to make more flexible orthoses or splints in convalescence after injuries. It can also help patients with Parkinson’s disease who have problems with fine motor skills. At the same time, the material has the potential to strengthen joints and serve as muscle support, when it can reduce the muscle strength needed to lift objects by up to 40 percent. When used in braces, it can protect limbs and joints from damage in the event of a fall. “Imagine that in the future, patients who would otherwise need a cast for fractures could have a flexible limb support that is as flexible as the fabric when it is needed. Unlike conventional fixed disposable plasters, such sleeves would be easy to put on or take off with just the push of a button to change their strength,” said the head of the research project, Jifan Wan.

When manufacturing orthoses, scientists use a 3D scanner that accurately maps the limbs for which it is subsequently to be made. Subsequently, the software creates 3D models of dozens of geometric tiles that fit together exactly. These are then printed by a 3D printer in less than an hour. At the end of the process, the metal cables need to be woven by hand through the small channels between the tiles. In the future, the researchers plan to automate this part of the process as well. Finally, they connect the cables to an electronic device that tightens or loosens them as needed.