Objects that sense their own motion: MIT software prints sensors right into them
With the X-Hinges tool, users design 3D-printed joints that measure their own bending. The trick: two materials – one for the sensors and one for interference-free conductive traces.
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Researchers at MIT's CSAIL lab and Tianjin University in China have presented design software for printing everyday objects with built-in motion sensing. The system, called X-Hinges, automatically places sensors where an object bends, such as at joints. Each part can move along up to three axes: compression, up-and-down and side-to-side. The work will be presented at the UIST conference in early November.
Until now, printed interactive objects used the same conductive material for sensors and connecting lines, so the signals interfered with each other. X-Hinges therefore prints two materials: one with the strongest possible sensor signal and one for the traces. Examples shown by the team include a glove that transfers finger movements to a robotic hand, an origami lamp that changes its brightness when pinched, and a shark-shaped game controller.
One weakness remains: because the internal wiring varies slightly from print to print, identical-looking objects give different readings. The researchers currently correct for this with a computer vision system and plan to develop built-in calibration later. As a next step, senior author Jiaji Li wants to combine actuation and sensing in a single print.