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‘Invisible’ 3D printed fibres could power devices capable of sensing breath and sound

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Devices capable of sensing smells, sound and touch may be one step closer to reality thanks to the advent of 3D printed electronic fibres.

The fibres, created by researchers from the University of Cambridge, are 100 times thinner than a human hair, making them able to sense breath, sounds and cells that conventional sensors may struggle to detect.

These sensors are inexpensive and extremely sensitive, opening up new methods of information gathering.

“Our fibre sensors are lightweight, cheap, small and easy to use, so they could potentially be turned into home-test devices to allow the general public to perform self-administered tests to get information about their environments,” said Dr Yan Yan Shery Huang from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who led the research.

Dr Huang and her team 3D printed a thin protective polymer sheath over a core made or silver and/or other high-purity semiconducting fibres, which resembled the structure of standard electrical wires.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 06: A used KN95 face mask is seen on the road as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on August 06, 2020 in New York City. The fourth phase allows outdoor arts and entertainment, sporting events without fans and media production. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
The team tested moisture leakage from an N95 mask (Photo: Getty)

The fibres are so tiny they are invisible to the naked human eye, which would give the electrics they’re attached to the impression they were floating in mid-air, the researchers wrote in journal Science Advances.

The fibres also could be attached to mobile phones to monitor breath patterns, sound and images simultaneously, or to create biocompatible fibres similar to biological cells, which would enable them to guide cell movements and ‘feel’ the process in the form of electrical signals.

Mask assessment

Andy Wang, PhD student and first author of the paper, attached the sensor to a face mask covering his nose and mouth to detect moisture from his breath that leaked through the material.

The sensors “significantly outperformed” comparable commercial sensors, particularly when monitoring rapid breathing to replicate shortness of breath, meaning it could prove effective at tracking respiratory conditions such as normal breathing, sharp intakes of breath and simulated coughing.

The sensors’ sensitivity could highlight the kinds of face coverings most effective at preventing breath moisture from escaping by detecting the amount and direction of the leaking particles, the team claimed.

Fabric and surgical masks tended to leak the most from their fronts, particularly when the wearer coughed, while N95 face masks’ weakest points were around the top and side with tight fittings.

However, when worn properly, both types of masks were effective at weakening the flow of exhaled breath, the researchers noted.

“Sensors made from small conducting fibres are especially useful for volumetric sensing of fluid and gas in 3D, compared to conventional thin film techniques, but so far, it has been challenging to print and incorporate them into devices and to manufacture them at scale,” said Dr Huang.

The researchers are seeking to develop the fibre printing technique to create other kinds of multi-functional sensors which could aid mobile health monitoring.

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