BIOGEM
A Fully Biodegradable Gelatin-Based McKibben Actuator with Embedded Sensing
Keywords: Soft Actuators, Stretchable Sensors, Sustainability, Fabrication
Project Credits: Gaolin Ge, Haoran Lu, Yingting Gao, Qifeng Yang, Josiah Hester, Tingyu Cheng, Yiyue Luo
Publication: UIST ’25 — Proceedings of the 38th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, Article 37, pp. 1–15 (2025) PDF DOI
BIOGEM is a fully biodegradable McKibben actuator with integrated sensing, made from tunable gelatin-based composites. Stiff gelatin forms the outer braid, stretchable gelatin forms the air chamber, and ionic gelatin enables resistive strain sensing. Mechanical, electrical, enzymatic, and backyard-soil studies demonstrate reliable actuation and a sustainable end of life, while interactive, edible, and soil-degradable prototypes illustrate applications across HCI and soft robotics.
BIOGEM Application Design
