Flexible Skin with Two-Axis Bending Capability Made Using Weaving-By-Lithography Fabrication Method

Abstract

In this paper, we report the general design of a two-axis bendable flexible skin and its companion fabrication method. Conventional flexible skins can only bend along one axis. For example, they may be rolled onto a circular cylinder conformally but not onto a sphere. Our flexible skin features a novel interwoven structure inspired by cloth fabric. The horizontal and vertical threads of the skin are not connected; they are free to slide and rotate against each other, therefore enabling the skin to adjust its shape to conform to complex curvatures. To demonstrate the potential for future applications, we have embedded passive RF elements (planar coil inductors) inside the skin. The inductance value is experimentally determined to be 106 µ H.