Descripción del proyecto
Los conductores eléctricos biodegradables favorecen la robótica
Los materiales actuales utilizado en electrónica no son sostenibles debido a su escasez, toxicidad y dificultad de reciclaje. Sin embargo, son necesarios para la robótica, que se está convirtiendo en algo crucial para una economía europea próspera. En el proyecto BioConTact, financiado con fondos europeos, se abordará este problema mediante el desarrollo de conductores eléctricos flexibles, ligeros y escalables fabricados con materiales fácilmente disponibles. En estos conductores, se conseguirá una biodegradabilidad sintonizable a través de la formulación de los materiales. Esta tecnología será esencial para aplicaciones en las que la estabilidad a largo plazo es crucial, como la piel robótica, o para el control ambiental de la degradación, como la electrónica transitoria biorreabsorbible.
Objetivo
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.
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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
16163 Genova
Italia