Hydrogel-Textile Composites: Actuators for Shape-Changing Interfaces

abstract

The current work examines interactions that are enabled when depositing a human-safe hydrogel onto textile substrates. These hydrogel-textile composites are water-responsive, supporting reversible actuation. To enable these interactions, we describe a fabrication process using a consumer-grade 3D printer. We show how different combinations of printed hydrogel patterns and textiles create a rich actuator design space. Finally, we show an application of this approach and discuss opportunities for future work.