3D Hair

Yet another breakthrough in 3D printing will enable extremely fine features – including hair, fur and brushes – to be designed and printed quickly and efficiently. In the past, modelling and printing thousands of hair-like structures consumed large amounts of computational time and power. But a new software platform called “Cillia” enables users to program such structures in a matter of minutes.

The developers designed arrays of structures about the width of a human hair (50 microns). They then printed the arrays onto flat and curved surfaces, varying the dimensions to mimic a variety of thicknesses and densities from coarse bristles to fine fur. But printing wigs and hair extensions is not their goal.

Research has shown that the 3D printed hair can perform a range of useful functions including adhesion, sensing and actuation. For example, by changing the printing angle, arrays of Velcro®-like bristles can be made to adhere to each other with varying levels of force. A fur-like structure can sense when a person is stroking it and light up in response to the stimulus. And vibrating panels of printed hair were demonstrated to be capable of moving coins across a table.

Another great example of how technology, inspired by nature, can yield amazing results.