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We experimentally and numerically study the precise role of geometry for the mechanics of biholar metamaterials, quasi-2D slabs of rubber patterned by circular holes of two alternating sizes. We recently showed how the response to uniaxial…
We propose to use a recently introduced Totimorphic metamaterial for constructing morphable space structures. As a first step to investigate the feasibility of this concept, we present a method for morphing such structures autonomously…
The main objective of this study is to propose a methodology to build a parametric linear model of Flexible Multibody Systems for control design. This approach uses a combined Finite Element - State Space Approach based on component modes…
Elastic metamaterials are often designed for a single permanent function. We explore the possibility of altering a material's function repeatedly through a self-organization, "training" process, controlled by applied strains. We show that…
Metasurfaces have achieved fruitful results in tailoring complexing light fields in free space. However, a systematic investigation on applying the concept of meta-optics to completely control waveguide modes is still elusive. Here we…
Guiding energy deliberately is one of the central elements in engineering and information processing. It is often achieved by designing specific transport channels in a suitable material. Topological metamaterials offer a way to construct…
Inspired by biological systems, we introduce a general framework for quasi-static shape control of human-scale structures under slowly varying external actions or requirements. In this setting, shape control aims to traverse the stable…
We present a novel, physically-based morphing technique for elastic shapes, leveraging the differentiable material point method (MPM) with space-time control through per-particle deformation gradients to accommodate complex topology…
Peridynamics provides a versatile tool for fracture modelling in materials where fracture pathways cannot be predicted beforehand, but must be envisaged as an emergent features of the deformation process. One class of materials where this…
The motion of a mechanical system can be defined as a path through its configuration space. Computing such a path has a computational complexity scaling exponentially with the dimensionality of the configuration space. We propose to reduce…
Advances in 3D printing technology now enable the precise positioning of microscopic material voxels to form complex structures. Combined with emerging multi-material capabilities and printable responsive materials, this opens new…
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,…
Physical systems exhibiting neuromechanical functions promise to enable structures with directly encoded autonomy and intelligence. We report on a class of neuromorphic metamaterials embodying bioinspired mechanosensing, memory, and…
Precise control of the polarization and propagation direction of elastic waves is a fundamental challenge in elastodynamics. Achieving efficient mode conversion along arbitrary paths with conventional techniques has proven difficult. In…
Living systems are capable of locomotion, reconfiguration, and replication. To perform these tasks, cells spatiotemporally coordinate the interactions of force-generating, "active" molecules that create and manipulate non-equilibrium…
Structures and/or materials with engineered functionality, capable of achieving targeted mechanical responses reacting to changes in external excitation, have various potential engineering applications, e.g. aerospace, oceanographic…
Materials with an irreversible response to cyclic driving exhibit an evolving internal state which, in principle, encodes information on the driving history. Here we realize irreversible metamaterials that count mechanical driving cycles…
Soft interfaces formed by lipid membranes are fundamental to living cells, synthetic cells, and membrane-based soft materials. However, a quantitative framework linking molecular organization with nonlinear interfacial mechanics remains…
Time-variant systems have recently garnered considerable attention due to their unique potentials in manipulating electromagnetic waves. Here, a novel class of topological spacetime crystals is introduced, with a traveling-wave modulation…
Humanoid robots rely on multi-contact planners to navigate a diverse set of environments, including those that are unstructured and highly constrained. To synthesize stable multi-contact plans within a reasonable time frame, most planners…