Project description
Biodegradable electrical conductors promote robotics
Current materials for electronics are not sustainable due to their scarcity, toxicity and difficulty in recycling. However, they are necessary for robotics, which is becoming crucial for a thriving European economy. The EU-funded BioConTact project will address this problem by developing flexible, lightweight and scalable electrical conductors made from readily available materials. In these conductors, tunable biodegradability will be achieved through the materials' formulation. This technology will be essential for applications where long-term stability is crucial, such as robotic skin, or for environmental control of degradation, such as bioresorbable transient electronics.
Objective
BioConTact will engineer electrical conductors with a controllable biodegradability that are flexible, lightweight, scalable, and produced with readily available materials. The tunable degradation will be finely controlled through the material formulation. Thus, this unique technology will be indispensable for applications where long-term stability is crucial, such as robotic skin, or those requiring environmental control of degradation, such as bioresorbable transient electronics. These conductors will be assembled as human mimicking robotic skin for the iCub, the flagship open-source robot developed by the beneficiary, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. The fellow will utilise his experience in the design of materials for sustainable electronics, exploit the supervisor’s and co-supervisor’s knowledge on biodegradation and robotic tactile sensors, and benefit from their excellent laboratories, Smart Materials and Humanoid Sensing and Perception, respectively.
This research is motivated by the ever-growing need for sustainable and biodegradable materials for electronics. Consumer electronics are indeed pervasive in European society, with more than 230 million users. Yet, materials for electronics are not sustainable because of their scarcity, toxicity, and recycling complexity, which are detrimental for manufacturers, governments, and society. Besides, electronic wastes are accumulating globally and will reach a production rate of 120 million metric tons per year by 2050. Simultaneously, robotics, which are vital for a thriving European economy, are becoming omnipresent. Hence, the transition to sustainable and biodegradable alternatives to current electronics will boost the progress of environmentally friendly technologies in robotics. This transformation is in line with the 2030 European Sustainable Development Goals and the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges program that promotes a greener and sustainable European society.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
16163 Genova
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.