Wet-adhering wearable grasping device, method of manufacture and use

Abstract

The application discloses a wet-adhesion wearable grabbing device, a preparation method and an application. In the wearable grabbing device, a hard film hydrogel layer is stacked on a base hydrogel layer and has an interfacial force for avoiding interfacial separation to form a stacked structure. The hard film hydrogel layer comprises a contact surface for grabbing with a wet-adhesion function, can effectively grab irregular, soft or wet surfaces, and has high adaptability and comfort, and can avoid damage to the surface. By providing accurate grabbing capacity, the wearable grabbing device can be widely applied to various occasions requiring flexible grabbing, especially in the field of medical operations in contact with biological tissues.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of wearable devices with enhanced gripping ability, in particular to a wet-adhesion wearable gripping device, a preparation method and use thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wearable gripping devices are increasingly widely used in the fields of medical treatment, rehabilitation, robotics and the like. Existing wearable gripping devices are prone to causing damage or discomfort to biological organisms when contacting biological tissues such as skin, muscle, organs and the like or other soft objects. In particular, when gripping biological tissues, existing wearable gripping devices are difficult to provide long-lasting adhesion and not damage the surface of the object.

[0003] The information disclosed in the background section merely serves to enhance the understanding of the background of the present application, and therefore can contain information that does not constitute prior art that is known to those of ordinary skill in the art. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the deficiencies or shortcomings of the prior art, the present application provides a wet-adhesion wearable gripping device, comprising:

[0005] a base hydrogel layer;

[0006] a hard film hydrogel layer laminated on the base hydrogel layer and having an interfacial force to avoid interfacial separation to form a laminated structure, wherein,

[0007] the hard film hydrogel layer comprises a contact surface for gripping with wet-adhesion function,

[0008] the laminated structure has a gradient of elastic modulus,

[0009] the wearable gripping device is rolled on the surface of a target object using the laminated structure to grip the target object.

[0010] In the wearable gripping device, the contact surface is added with methacrylated gelatin with wet-adhesion function.

[0011] In the wearable gripping device, the hard film hydrogel layer is a wavy surface away from the base hydrogel layer.

[0012] In the wearable gripping device, the base hydrogel layer and the hard film hydrogel layer have the same hydrogel composition.

[0013] In the wearable gripping device, the hard film hydrogel layer can absorb moisture to enhance adhesion to the target surface.

[0014] The wearable grabbing device is capable of automatically winding and grabbing the target object through the morphological changes such as spontaneous curling and spiral deformation of the wearable grabbing device in the process of deformation (e.g., stretch release) through the laminated structure.

[0015] In the wearable grabbing device, surface wrinkles are generated on the surface of the hard film hydrogel layer after the deformation (e.g., stretch release) of the wearable grabbing device, so as to increase the friction when grabbing the object.

[0016] In the wearable grabbing device, the wearable grabbing device is a non-closed ring body.

[0017] The application also discloses a preparation method of the wet-adhesion wearable grabbing device, comprising the following steps:

[0018] The two-layer hydrogel layers are used to form the base hydrogel layer and the hard film hydrogel layer with structural differences in different curing processes.

[0019] The functional component with the wet-adhesion function is added to the hard film hydrogel layer to form the contact surface for grabbing.

[0020] The wearable grabbing device is used for grabbing or supporting human tissues, or for robot grabbing.

[0021] The application also discloses the use of the wet-adhesion wearable grabbing device for grabbing biological tissues or for robot grabbing various dry and wet substances.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the application has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] The wearable grabbing device disclosed by the application can adapt to the surfaces of objects with different shapes, and has better adaptability and comfort, and can avoid damage caused by excessively hard structures; the wearable grabbing device disclosed by the application enhances the grabbing capacity of the device for surfaces susceptible to damage and irregular materials due to the wet-adhesion characteristic, and has more advantages than the prior art solution when grabbing wet or soft surfaces.

[0024] The description is only a summary of the technical solutions of the application, in order to make the technical means of the application more clear and understandable, and to reach the level that the person skilled in the art can implement according to the content of the description, and in order to make the application and other purposes, features and advantages more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the application are exemplified in the following. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] Various other advantages and benefits of the present application will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a better understanding of the preferred embodiment, and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. It should be readily understood that the drawings are not to scale, and are merely intended to be illustrative, the scope of the present application being defined by the appended claims. It should be readily understood that the drawings included are only some embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings can be derived from these drawings by one of ordinary skill in the art without using inventive faculty. Also, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same components.

[0026] In the drawings:

[0027] Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the structure of the present application;

[0028] Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the wearing effect of the present application.

[0029] The present application will be further explained with reference to the drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The specific embodiments of the present application will be described below in reference to the drawings. Figs. 1-2 The specific embodiments of the present application will be described below in reference to the drawings.

[0031] It should be noted that certain terms have been used throughout the specification and claims which have been used for descriptive purposes only and thus are not intended to limit the scope of the application. It should also be noted that the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including" and the like can be considered as

[0032] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the application, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitation of the scope of the application is intended by this reference. Alterations and further modifications of the illustrated embodiments, such as those which would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, are intended to be embraced by the scope of the application. Moreover, it should be understood that the drawings are not to scale, and are merely intended to be illustrative, the scope of the present application being defined by the appended claims.

[0033] In one embodiment, the present application discloses a wet-adhesion wearable gripping device, comprising,

[0034] a base hydrogel layer;

[0035] a hard thin film hydrogel layer laminated on the base hydrogel layer and having an interfacial force to avoid interfacial separation to form the laminated structure, wherein,

[0036] the hard thin film hydrogel layer includes a contact surface for gripping with wet adhesion function,

[0037] the laminated structure has a modulus of elasticity gradient,

[0038] the wearable gripping device winds on the surface of the target object by the laminated structure to grip the target object.

[0039] It is noted that the key is that the laminated structure as a whole needs to have a modulus of elasticity gradient, rather than strictly requiring the base hydrogel layer and the hard thin film hydrogel layer to use materials with different modulus of elasticity. This will be described in detail later.

[0040] For the above embodiment, since the laminated structure is based on hydrogel layers and has a modulus of elasticity gradient, it makes the wearable gripping device have softness and adaptability, and winding characteristics, further enabling the device to adapt to the surfaces of objects of different shapes, providing better adaptability and comfort, and avoiding damage caused by excessively hard structure; and since the wet adhesion feature enhances the gripping ability of the device to surfaces of easily damaged and irregular materials, especially when gripping target objects with wet or soft surfaces, the present solution is more advantageous than the prior art. In addition, the laminated structure composed of hydrogels has the following effects: when the hydrogels contact biological tissues, skin or other wet surfaces, the surface will adsorb the surrounding water, enhancing the adhesion, thereby providing a stable gripping effect. In summary, the laminated structure of the present application can provide a softer gripping effect on the contact surface, avoiding damage to the surface of the target object.

[0041] It can be understood that the wearable gripping device is used to grip biological tissues (such as biological tissues of human or animal) or other substances. In addition, the wearable gripping device can also be used for robots to grip various dry and wet substances.

[0042] In another embodiment, the modulus of elasticity gradient needs to meet the following constraint condition: during the operation of the wearable gripping device, the contact area between the wearable gripping device and the target object is effectively increased through the morphological change (such as winding or spiral deformation) of the laminated structure on the surface of the target object, thereby improving the gripping force.

[0043] In another embodiment, the base hydrogel layer and the hard thin film hydrogel layer have a thickness ratio, preferably, the thickness of the base hydrogel layer is greater than that of the hard thin film hydrogel layer.

[0044] In another embodiment, the wearable gripping device is composed of one layer of the base hydrogel layer and one layer of the hard film hydrogel layer, wherein the hydrogel components of the base hydrogel layer and the hard film hydrogel layer are the same but form structural differences during the solidification process.

[0045] The thickness ratio and the structural differences are subject to the following constraints: the base hydrogel layer and the hard film hydrogel layer have sufficient interfacial interaction, and the wearable gripping device does not cause interfacial separation between the base hydrogel layer and the hard film hydrogel layer during operation.

[0046] In another embodiment, the base hydrogel layer and the hard film hydrogel layer are a double-layer and integrated structure.

[0047] In another embodiment, the layered structure is implemented as a self-rolling layered structure. In this way, the wearable gripping device can be wrapped around the finger or the mechanical gripper end-of-arm after deformation (such as stretch release) using the self-rolling and wet adhesion characteristics, making it safer and more efficient to grip biological tissues, soft materials, or surface-wetted materials, and achieving more efficient and stable gripping effects in the fields of medical surgery, robotic gripping, etc.

[0048] In another embodiment, the layered structure of the wearable gripping device generates surface wrinkles on the surface of the hard film hydrogel layer during deformation (such as stretch release) to increase the friction when gripping objects.

[0049] It should be noted that the hardness in the present application does not mean absolute hardness; the hard film hydrogel layer has a moderate elastic modulus, which can ensure sufficient rigidity to maintain shape and sufficient softness to adapt to the surface features of the target object. In the present application, although the structural support provided by the hard film hydrogel layer itself and the wet adhesion function of the contact surface can further ensure the effect of gripping human or other biological tissues or soft substances, more preferably, in another embodiment,

[0050] The elastic modulus of the hard film hydrogel layer itself must satisfy the following constraints: the contact surface can closely fit irregular or sensitive surfaces.

[0051] In this way, the present application can further ensure that it can provide lasting adhesion without damaging the surface of the object.

[0052] In another embodiment, for the layered structure with a gradient of elastic modulus, the base hydrogel layer is relatively soft, and the hard film hydrogel layer closer to the target object is relatively hard.

[0053] Thus, the relatively softer base hydrogel layer can be more easily manipulated to deform, while the relatively harder stiff film hydrogel layer provides structural support by itself and contacts the target object with its wet-adhesive property to facilitate the grasping of the target object by the wearable grasping device.

[0054] In another embodiment, if it is more desirable to protect the grasped target object from external impact or pressure, then a relatively harder base hydrogel layer can be used to provide support, while a relatively softer stiff film hydrogel layer is employed to ensure gentle contact with the target object. In this regard, it is understood that in the present invention, it is not required that the stiff film hydrogel layer must be harder than the base hydrogel layer.

[0055] In another embodiment, the base hydrogel layer and the stiff film hydrogel layer have the same hydrogel composition.

[0056] For this embodiment, it means that the same hydrogel composition can be chosen as the only material source to form the layered structure. For example, using the same hydrogel composition, the desired modulus gradient can be created by adjusting the crosslinking density, adding fillers, changing the microstructure inside the material (such as porosity, fiber alignment direction, etc.), or changing the curing conditions (such as temperature, time, light intensity, etc.), and further adjusted by experimental results until the layered structure is formed using the same hydrogel composition. Choosing the same hydrogel composition has other advantages for the present invention: it is easier to ensure good interface compatibility and bonding strength between the two layers, and to avoid delamination or peeling; at the same time, using similar base materials can simplify the manufacturing process, reduce production costs, and ensure consistent biocompatibility of the wearable grasping device.

[0057] In another embodiment, the base hydrogel layer and the stiff film hydrogel layer have different hydrogel compositions. It is understood that the desired modulus gradient can be created by adding different fillers to the respective hydrogel compositions, adjusting the length of the polymer chain, or changing the curing conditions, and further adjusted by experimental results until the layered structure is formed using the same hydrogel composition.

[0058] In another embodiment, for the layered structure, it has a gradually changing elastic modulus from the base to the top layer. This helps the top layer to better conform to the surface of the target object, while maintaining sufficient rigidity to achieve effective grasping. In general, the hydrogel composition, the elastic modulus and the topography of each layer in the layered structure can be further adjusted flexibly for different grasping application scenarios and the characteristics of the target object.

[0059] In another embodiment,

[0060] The selection of hydrogel components includes polyacrylic acid (PAA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA), etc.

[0061] In another embodiment, the contact surface is added with methacrylated gelatin with wet adhesion function.

[0062] It should be noted that the present application can also consider adding other functional components with wet adhesion function. For example, alginates or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) can be added to increase adhesion under wet conditions; or nanoparticles such as silicon dioxide or silver ions, etc. not only appropriately improve the mechanical strength, but also impart antibacterial properties. It can be understood that all functional components with wet adhesion function that can be used in the hard film hydrogel layer of the wearable gripping device are applicable.

[0063] In another embodiment, the hard film hydrogel layer is a wavy surface away from the side of the base hydrogel layer.

[0064] For this embodiment, the wavy surface can provide a larger actual contact area than the flat surface under the same projected area, which helps to enhance the adhesion and friction between the target object (such as biological tissue) and the wearable gripping device, thereby improving the gripping efficiency and stability. The wavy surface can help to distribute the applied pressure more evenly across the contact surface, avoiding damage caused by local stress concentration, especially for fragile biological tissues.

[0065] More preferably, the microstructure of the wavy surface can be further designed to embed into the micro concave-convex of the target object surface through physical anchoring during the gripping process, forming mechanical interlocking, and further improving the firmness of the gripping.

[0066] In another embodiment, the hard film hydrogel layer can absorb moisture to enhance adhesion to the target surface.

[0067] In another embodiment, the layered structure of the wearable gripping device realizes the deformation of curling or spiral deformation, winding and gripping the target object during the deformation (such as stretching and releasing).

[0068] Referring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 In another embodiment, the wearable gripping device is a non-closed ring body.

[0069] This embodiment makes it easier for the wearable device to be fitted into the operator's fingers, and can flexibly adapt to different sizes of fingers while maintaining a certain elasticity to better fit various finger sizes. In addition, the non-closed ring body can be easily and quickly worn and removed without affecting the function.

[0070] In another embodiment, the present application discloses a method for preparing a wet-adhesion wearable gripping device, comprising the following steps:

[0071] Utilizing two layers of hydrogel to form a base hydrogel layer and a hard film hydrogel layer with structural differences in different curing processes;

[0072] Adding a functional component with wet-adhesion function to the hard film hydrogel layer and forming a contact surface for gripping.

[0073] For this embodiment, by adding a functional component to the contact surface, the gripping device can be endowed with wet-adhesion function. As described above, the functional component is, for example, methacrylated gelatin, etc.

[0074] In another embodiment,

[0075] In the curing process, applying directional stretching can make one layer solidify earlier than the other, thereby fixing a specific shape; and / or, by adjusting the curing conditions to affect the mechanical properties, such as hardness and elasticity, to meet the expectations and verifications.

[0076] In another embodiment, surface wrinkles can be generated on the surface of the hard film hydrogel layer after deformation (e.g., stretch release), increasing the friction when gripping objects. It can be understood that the wearable gripping device disclosed by the present application can not only act on biological tissues and the like with wet surfaces, but also on objects with dry surfaces in dry environments, especially irregular objects to be gripped.

[0077] The wet-adhesion wearable gripping device of the present application is suitable for the following scenarios:

[0078] Medical field: for gripping or supporting human tissues (such as skin, muscle, etc.), such as assisting in operations or enhancing the gripping ability of patient's limbs as a rehabilitation device. For example, during a surgical procedure, a doctor wears the wet-adhesion wearable gripping device for fine operation and gripping of soft tissues such as muscle, skin, etc. The device can be quickly put into use during the surgical procedure, enhancing gripping stability and not damaging the tissue surface.

[0079] Robotic gripping: in soft object gripping tasks, it can be combined with the gripper execution end to effectively grip irregular and easily damaged objects such as fruits, biological tissues, etc. In robotic gripping tasks, the wearable gripping device is used for the robotic gripper to grip soft objects. The wet-adhesion ability of the device enables the robot to effectively grip these soft objects with wet surfaces without the need to use complex mechanical grippers. Especially in medical surgical robot applications, the wearable gripping device can greatly improve the gripping and fine operation ability of traditional hard medical mechanical grippers on biological tissues.

[0080] The above describes the basic principles of the present application in conjunction with specific embodiments, but it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, effects and the like mentioned in the present application are only examples and are not limiting, and these advantages, benefits, effects and the like cannot be considered as necessary for each embodiment of the present application. In addition, the above disclosed specific details are only for the purpose of illustration and understanding, and are not limiting, and the above details do not limit the present application to be necessarily implemented with the above specific details.

[0081] The above description has been given for the purpose of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit embodiments of the present application to the forms disclosed herein. Although a number of example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, changes, additions, and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A wet-adhering wearable grasping device, characterized by, It comprises, a base hydrogel layer; a hard thin film hydrogel layer laminated on the base hydrogel layer and having an interfacial force to avoid interfacial separation to form a laminated structure, wherein, the hard thin film hydrogel layer comprises a contact surface with wet adhesion function for gripping, the laminated structure has a modulus of elasticity gradient, the wearable gripping device uses the laminated structure to curl on the surface of the target object to grip the target object, the hard thin film hydrogel layer can absorb moisture to enhance the adhesion to the target surface, and the modulus of elasticity gradient meets the following constraint conditions: the wearable gripping device is wound on the surface of the target object through the morphological change of the laminated structure during operation; and the modulus of elasticity of the hard thin film hydrogel layer itself meets the following constraint conditions: so that the contact surface closely fits the irregular or sensitive surface.

2. The wearable grasping device of claim 1, wherein, The contact surface adds methacrylated gelatin with wet adhesion function.

3. The wearable grasping device of claim 1, wherein, The hard thin film hydrogel layer is a wavy surface away from the base hydrogel layer.

4. The wearable grasping device of claim 1, wherein, The base hydrogel layer and the hard thin film hydrogel layer have the same hydrogel composition.

5. The wearable grasping device of claim 1, wherein, The wearable gripping device is a non-closed ring body.

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