MIT soft sensing sheet tracks its own 3D shape with optical fibers
The silicone sheet embeds 14 optical waveguides and reconstructs shapes with errors under half a centimeter in lab tests, according to Tom's Hardware.
MIT engineers have developed a soft, wearable silicone sheet that uses embedded optical fibers to track its own three-dimensional shape, according to Tom's Hardware. The work is detailed in a paper published in Advanced Intelligent Systems.
The sheet measures 16 x 16 x 0.5 cm and contains 14 waveguides, each 160 mm long, arranged in two zig-zagged layers of seven. The design pairs a flexible rubber core with black-dyed cladding, and one side is roughened to allow bi-directional bending detection.
In lab tests across three 3D-printed molds, the sheet reconstructed shapes with root-mean-square errors of 0.37, 0.28 and 0.45 cm. Simulations stayed under 0.3 cm of error with up to three of the 14 waveguides disabled, but error rose to about 1 cm or more once five were disabled.
Reconstruction runs in MATLAB at roughly three times per second, according to the report. Qifan Yu, an MIT mechanical engineering graduate student on the team, and Kaitlyn Becker, an MIT assistant professor of mechanical engineering and co-author, worked on the research.
The team said the technology could be used for controlling games, virtual reality and physical therapy.
Quick answers
What did MIT researchers develop?
A soft, wearable silicone sheet that uses embedded optical fibers to sense its own 3D shape.
How accurate is the shape-sensing sheet?
In lab tests on three 3D-printed molds, it reconstructed shapes with root-mean-square errors of 0.37, 0.28 and 0.45 cm.
What could the technology be used for?
The team said possible uses include controlling games, virtual reality and physical therapy.