3D-printed piezoelectric sensors with tunable directional
This technology uses 3D printing to build lattice structures made from piezoelectric composite materials — materials that convert mechanical stress into electrical signals (and vice versa). Unlike conventional flat piezoelectric films or simple blocks, these 3D microlattices are engineered node-by-node so that the structure's electrical response can be precisely tuned in any direction by changing the geometry of the lattice. The result is a piezoelectric component that can be customized for specific force directions, frequencies, or sensitivity profiles that flat materials simply cannot achieve. The patent covers the material structures themselves, systems incorporating them, and the manufacturing methods.
What you could build
A 3D-printed piezoelectric transducer or sensor module with programmable directional sensitivity, sold to defense contractors, medical imaging OEMs, or industrial NDT equipment makers who need custom force-sensing geometries without expensive material reformulation.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense primes and Navy research labs in the Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia corridors — particularly those working on sonar, structural health monitoring, or embedded sensing in aerospace platforms — would have direct interest.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Xiaoyu ZHENG, Huachen CUI, Ryan HENSLEIGH
- Granted
- September 2, 2025
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 12408555
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.