MIT's soft shape-sensing sheet maps every bend and twist in real time

MIT engineers built a flexible silicone sheet with soft optical fibers that digitally reconstructs its own 3D shape as it bends and twists. The ~1 mm fibers are laid in an optimized zig-zag pattern, and an algorithm turns light-level changes into a real-time surface model. The work, published in Advanced Intelligent Systems, targets physical therapy and wearable motion tracking.

• Fibers about 1 mm thick are arranged in a zig-zag pattern in silicone
• Light scattering reveals both the amount and direction of bending
• The sheet still maps its shape after some fibers are cut out
• Future versions aim for fibers tens of micrometers thick for clothing