Printing a Pacinian Corpuscle: Modeling and Performance

• Main Authors: Kieran Barrett-Snyder, Susan Lane, Nathan Lazarus, W. C. Kirkpatrick Alberts, Brendan Hanrahan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Micromachines
• Subjects: 3D printing; soft robotics; vibration sensing; biomimetic
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/12/5/574

The Pacinian corpuscle is a highly sensitive mammalian sensor cell that exhibits a unique band-pass sensitivity to vibrations. The cell achieves this band-pass response through the use of 20 to 70 elastic layers entrapping layers of viscous fluid. This paper develops and explores a scalable mechanical model of the Pacinian corpuscle and uses the model to predict the response of synthetic corpuscles, which could be the basis for future vibration sensors. The −3dB point of the biological cell is accurately mimicked using the geometries and materials available with off-the-shelf 3D printers. The artificial corpuscles here are constructed using uncured photoresist within structures printed in a commercial stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer, allowing the creation of trapped fluid layers analogous to the biological cell. Multi-layer artificial Pacinian corpuscles are vibration tested over the range of 20–3000 Hz and the response is in good agreement with the model.