Printing Sustainable Soft Robotics

We are now standing at the brink of a fundamental change in our technologies. Soft versions of robotic devices are evolving rapidly in our mission to advance human-made machines towards the excellence of living creatures. While past technological breakthroughs were prevalently driven by rigid machines, novel soft forms excel in many tasks like conquering complex terrain or interacting safely with biological life. The upcoming technological transformation requires to unlock the full potential of soft machines by uniting diverse material and fabrication approaches within a single process. Simultaneously, scientists are battling on all fronts to find sustainable alternatives for that to conquer environmental pollution, climate change and excessive energy consumption. Here, sophisticated multimaterial 3D printing strategies have the potential to produce complex devices in a cost-effective and flexible way while being able to process a broad spectrum of sustainable soft materials. Along the journey to unite these premises, this thesis highlights the evolution of an additive manufacturing approach, from simple volumetric extrusion of our fully bioderived and biodegradable gelatin-based hydrogel to a pneumatically driven multimaterial printing setup, able to fabricate sustainable complex soft robotic devices in a single process. Together with the development of another fully biodegradable support ink based on egg albumen and first steps to integrate additional functional materials, this lets me envision a future where sustainably produced soft devices assist us in our everyday lives and biodegrade at the end of their lifetime without burdening our environment.