Haghiashtiani, Ghazaleh2021-04-122021-04-122020-01https://hdl.handle.net/11299/219313University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. January 2020. Major: Mechanical Engineering. Advisor: Michael McAlpine. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 157 pages.The ability to mimic nature and biological systems has revolutionized various fields and has inspired a plethora of scientific discoveries to solve human problems. Medicine is among the areas that has vastly benefited from bio-inspired innovations, such as the gecko-inspired adhesive and parasitic worm-inspired microneedle. Driven by the fact that medical errors are among the leading causes of death, several efforts have been focused to create phantoms that mimic the actual patients’ organ with the main purpose of enhancing preoperational planning and surgical outcomes, as well as reducing the risk of intraoperative errors and postoperative complications. Over the past decade, 3D printing technologies have played an important role in fabrication of patient-specific organ phantoms, however, despite being anatomically correct, these 3D printed organ models mostly lack the precise mimicry of the sense and mechanical properties of the biological tissue of interest. In addition, they lack advanced functionalities, such as tactile sensing, to provide quantitative feedback during organ handling which can be a valuable metric in different surgical interventions or for training purposes. This dissertation aims at addressing these two limitations by conducting an investigation at the intersection of soft biomimicking electroactive, and tissue-like material systems and electromechanical transducer design coupled with multi-material, extrusion-based 3D printing process, for primary applications in development of smart, patient-specific organ models. Specifically, the design and development of (i) a tunable silicone-based material system with tissue-like mechanical properties compatible with direct ink writing 3D printing process, (ii) soft electromechanical actuators and sensors based on the biomimicking hydrogel-elastomer hybrid material system, and (iii) coalescence of these concepts for fabrication of patient-specific organ models with integrated functionalities were presented. It is envisioned that these organ models can augment the current practices in a gamut of medical applications, including preoperative planning, clinical training, patient education, and development of next-generation medical devices with the end goal of enhancing surgical outcomes, reducing medical errors, and improving patient safety. In addition, on a long-term basis, the outcomes of this work could contribute to the incorporation of cell-seeded structures into the organ models, thus setting the stage for development of dynamic bionic organs.enThesis or Dissertation