A Touch of Gold - Spraying and Electroplating 3D Prints to Create Biocompatible On-Skin Wearables

authored by: Tim Duente, Maximilian Schrapel, Justin Schulte, Nick Janssen, Ibraheem Al-Azzawi, Michael Rohs
Abstract: Iterative design cycles for tangible user interfaces and wearable devices require efficient prototyping techniques to optimize development and to elevate the overall design efficacy. A key challenge for rapid prototyping techniques such as cardboard prototyping, 3D printing, or laser cutting is the integration of conductive surfaces. Additional wiring, conductive paint, or special materials like conductive filament often lack the necessary high conductivity and sufficient durability for designing on-skin wearables to measure muscle activity or to electrically stimulate the skin and muscles. To solve this problem we propose to combine spraying and electroplating to create surfaces that exhibit high conductivity, are solderable, corrosion-resistant and skin-friendly, and embody both practical functionality and aesthetic value. In this paper, we describe an effective spraying and electroplating process for rapid prototyping and demonstrate its applicability using several examples of tangible user interfaces. Further, we discuss advantages and disadvantages and describe limitations of the approach.
Organisation(s): Automatic Image Interpretation Section
Human-Computer Interaction Section
External Organisation(s): Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Type: Conference contribution
Publication date: 2024
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Software, Computer Networks and Communications, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Systems
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1145/3640471.3680227 (Access: Closed)

BibTeX

@inproceedings{dcf87caf4d404af286ea778bee0965be,
title = "A Touch of Gold - Spraying and Electroplating 3D Prints to Create Biocompatible On-Skin Wearables",
abstract = "Iterative design cycles for tangible user interfaces and wearable devices require efficient prototyping techniques to optimize development and to elevate the overall design efficacy. A key challenge for rapid prototyping techniques such as cardboard prototyping, 3D printing, or laser cutting is the integration of conductive surfaces. Additional wiring, conductive paint, or special materials like conductive filament often lack the necessary high conductivity and sufficient durability for designing on-skin wearables to measure muscle activity or to electrically stimulate the skin and muscles. To solve this problem we propose to combine spraying and electroplating to create surfaces that exhibit high conductivity, are solderable, corrosion-resistant and skin-friendly, and embody both practical functionality and aesthetic value. In this paper, we describe an effective spraying and electroplating process for rapid prototyping and demonstrate its applicability using several examples of tangible user interfaces. Further, we discuss advantages and disadvantages and describe limitations of the approach.",
keywords = "3D printing, ear clips, electrical muscle stimulation, electrode grids, electrodes, electromyography, electroplating, electrotactile feedback, EMG, EMS, galvanizing, gold, On-skin wearables, pen tip, rapid prototyping",
author = "Tim Duente and Maximilian Schrapel and Justin Schulte and Nick Janssen and Ibraheem Al-Azzawi and Michael Rohs",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).; 26th International Conference on Mobile Human-Computer Interaction, MobileHCI 2024 ; Conference date: 24-09-2024 Through 03-10-2024",
year = "2024",
doi = "10.1145/3640471.3680227",
language = "English",
booktitle = "MobileHCI 2024 Adjunct Proceedings",
publisher = "Association for Computing Machinery, Inc",
}