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Accurate 3D shape abstraction from a single 2D image is a long-standing problem in computer vision and graphics. By leveraging a set of primitives to represent the target shape, recent methods have achieved promising results. However, these…
Liquid crystal elastomers represent a novel class of programmable shape-transforming materials whose shape change trajectory is encoded in the material's nematic director field. Using three-dimensional nonlinear finite element…
Animals can accomplish many incredible behavioral feats across a wide range of operational environments and scales that current robots struggle to match. One explanation for this performance gap is the extraordinary properties of the…
Simple local interactions can cause primitive building blocks to self-assemble into complex and functional patterns. However, even for a small number of blocks, there exist a vast number of possible configurations that are plausible,…
This paper presents an interaction control algorithm for a dielectric elastomer membrane actuator. The proposed method permits efficient exploitation of the controllable stiffness of the material, allowing to use the membrane as a…
This work concerns a structural topology optimisation problem for 4D printing based on the phase field approach. The concept of 4D printing as a targeted evolution of 3D printed structures can be realised in a two-step process. One first…
Self-assembly via nanoscale phase-separation offers an elegant route to fabricate nanocomposites with physical properties unattainable in single-component systems. One important class of nanocomposites are optical metamaterials which…
Nature inspired neuromorphic architectures are being explored as an alternative to imminent limitations of conventional complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) architectures. Utilization of such architectures for practical…
Arbitrary manipulation of light across multiple physical dimensions is essential for harnessing its parallelism in fundamental research and advanced applications, such as optical interconnects, computing, imaging, sensing, and quantum…
Articulated object manipulation is a critical capability for robots to perform various tasks in real-world scenarios. Composed of multiple parts connected by joints, articulated objects are endowed with diverse functional mechanisms through…
The algorithmic self-assembly of shapes has been considered in several models of self-assembly. For the problem of \emph{shape construction}, we consider an extended version of the Two-Handed Tile Assembly Model (2HAM), which contains…
Reconfigurable memristors featuring neural and synaptic functions hold great potential for neuromorphic circuits by simplifying system architecture, cutting power consumption, and boosting computational efficiency. Their additive…
Flexibility governs the many properties of materials and is crucial for the function of proteins and biopolymers. However, how the self-assembly of flexibly bonded particles can lead to larger structures with global reconfigurability is…
Physical Ising machines rely on nature to guide a dynamical system towards an optimal state which can be read out as a heuristical solution to a combinatorial optimization problem. Such designs that use nature as a computing mechanism can…
Analogous to time signals that can be composed of multiple frequency functions, we use uniquely structured orthogonal spatial modes to create different beam shapes. We tailor the spatial structure by judiciously choosing a weighted…
Numerous soft actuators based on PneuNet design have already been proposed and extensively employed across various soft robotics applications in recent years. Despite their widespread use, a common limitation of most existing designs is…
Manually authoring 3D shapes is difficult and time consuming; generative models of 3D shapes offer compelling alternatives. Procedural representations are one such possibility: they offer high-quality and editable results but are difficult…
Programmable photonic integrated circuits represent an emerging technology that amalgamates photonics and electronics, paving the way for light-based information processing at high speeds and low power consumption. Considering their wide…
Recent developments have created differentiable physics simulators designed for machine learning pipelines that can be accelerated on a GPU. While these can simulate biomechanical models, these opportunities have not been exploited for…
Functional magnetic composites capable of large deformation, load bearing, and multifunctional motion are essential for next-generation adaptive soft robots. Here, we present muscle-inspired magnetic actuators (MMA), additively manufactured…