The possibilities for the future are endless," McAlpine said. The supporting sacrificial layer is later washed away in the final manufacturing process."McAlpine and his team made the unique sensing fabric with a one-of-a kind 3D printer they built in the lab. This could take us into so many directions from health monitoring to energy harvesting to chemical sensing.The research is published online in Advanced Materials. The multifunctional printer has four nozzles to print the various specialized "inks" that make up the layers of the device--a base layer of silicone, top and bottom electrodes made of a conducting ink, a coil-shaped pressure sensor, and a sacrificial layer that holds the top layer in place while it sets.

This ultimate wearable technology could eventually be used for health monitoring or by China functional fabrics Suppliers soldiers in the field to detect dangerous chemicals or explosives.Surprisingly, all of the layers of "inks" used in the flexible sensors can set at room temperature.Lead researcher Michael McAlpine said that this stretchable electronic fabric has many practical uses. Conventional 3D printing using liquid plastic is too hot and too rigid to use on the skin.A team of researchers has come up with a revolutionary process for 3D printing stretchable electronic sensory devices that could give robots the ability to feel their environment.

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