Human interactive liquid crystal fiber arrays

Samuël A.M. Weima, Reza Norouzikudiani, Jaeryang Baek, Jacques A. Peixoto, Thierry K. Slot, Dirk J. Broer, Antonio DeSimone, Danqing Liu (Corresponding author)

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Abstract

This paper presents interactive liquid crystal fiber arrays that can actuate in a way perceptible by human touch. The fibers are actuated via a computer interface, enabling precise control over actuation direction, magnitude, and frequency. Unlike conventional methods, our technique initiates the actuation at the base of the fibers, which is enabled by fabricating the fibers directly onto an electrical circuit. Fiber actuation is achieved by localized addressing of an in situ formed radially aligned segment. This induces reduction in the scalar order parameter and leads to deformation of the fiber base, causing bending toward the activated region. Extensive modeling validates this actuation mechanism and identifies optimal conditions and actuation strategies for achieving the desired responses. The actuation process is rapid, is highly reversible, and maintains excellent performance over repeated (>200) cycles. These liquid crystal fiber arrays provide a safe contact with humans or other objects, making them highly suitable for applications in smart wearable devices and immersive interfaces.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereadp0421
Number of pages9
JournalScience Advances
Volume10
Issue number36
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Sept 2024

Funding

We would like to acknowledge T. Bruining for his work on the equipment for fabricating LCFs. This work was supported by Dutch Research Council (NWO) (OCENW.KLEIN. 10854, START-UP 8872, and Gravity Program 024.005.020\u2014Interactive Polymer Materials IPM) European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under MSCA grant agreement no. 956150 (STORM-BOTS). Acknowledgments: We would like to acknowledge t. Bruining for his work on the equipment for fabricating lcFs. Funding: this work was supported by dutch Research council (nWO) (OcenW.Klein. 10854, StARt-UP 8872, and Gravity Program 024.005.020\u2014interactive Polymer Materials iPM) european Union horizon 2020 Research and innovation programme under MScA grant agreement no. 956150 (StORM-BOtS). Author contributions: conceptualization: d.J.B. and d.l. Formal analysis: R.n. and J.A.P. investigation: S.A.M.W. and R.n. Methodology: S.A.M.W. and t.K.S. Software: J.B. and S.A.M.W. Supervision: d.l., A.d., and t.K.S. visualization: S.A.M.W., R.n., and d.l. Writing\u2014original draft: S.A.M.W., R.n., and J.B. Writing\u2014review and editing: S.A.M.W., d.l., d.J.B., and A.d. Competing interests: the authors declare that they have no competing interests. Data and materials availability: All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials.

FundersFunder number
European Union's Horizon 2020 - Research and Innovation Framework Programme
European Union's Horizon 2020 - Research and Innovation Framework Programme
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek10854
Marie Skłodowska‐Curie956150

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