Researchers at MIT and Tianjin University in China have developed X-Hinges, software for designing 3D-printed objects that sense movement and respond to human interaction. Users connect shapes and select up to three axes, or directions, of movement. The software places sensors at bending points, where they turn physical changes into electrical signals.
Paths inside the objects carry those signals to electronics for processing. When sensors and paths use the same material, their electrical responses can interfere with each other. X-Hinges uses separate materials to make readings more accurate. The team demonstrated a glove that fits different hand sizes and sends finger movement data to a robotic hand, allowing it to copy the movements. Other examples include a folding lamp that changes brightness when pinched closed and a touch-sensing device that recognizes objects such as a banana. A shark-shaped game controller has a tail that moves up and down like a joystick.
However, small differences during printing can cause similar objects to produce different readings. The researchers developed a computer vision system, which uses images, to adjust those readings and improve consistency. They hope to integrate this adjustment into future versions. Their longer-term goal is to combine sensing with the ability to produce physical movement in a single printing process.
