What is the status?
Our team has utilized 4D printing technology to create printed actuators that are both robust and reproducible. Through our research, we’ve also investigated actuators with different geometries and integration strategies, leading to the development of microfluidic devices that incorporate the PRIME valve concept based on smart materials.
Have you changed course at all?
Taking advantage of the benefits of high customization and reduced manufacturing time that 4D printing offers, we are developing new valve designs in addition to the original concept, with the aim of further improving its functional capabilities and integration..
What do you expect from the final stage of the project?
Our focus remains on the implementation and integration through additive manufacturing of our smart valves and pumps, as we strive towards the project’s vision of developing a new generation of active, tubeless, and contactless microfluidic chips with integrated fluidic functions implemented through responsive liquid crystal elastomer actuators.