Related papers: Learning to self-fold at a bifurcation

Wrinkles are often observed on the surfaces of compressed soft materials in nature. In the past few decades, the fascinating surface patterns have been studied extensively by using the linear bifurcation analysis under plane strain. The…

The identification and classification of transitions in topological and microstructural regimes in pattern-forming processes are critical for understanding and fabricating microstructurally precise novel materials in many application…

Using numerical simulations, we examine a simple model of two or more coupled one-dimensional channels of driven particles with repulsive interactions in the presence of quenched disorder. We find that this model exhibits a remarkably rich…

This work deals with the construction of networks of topological defects in models described by a single complex scalar field. We take advantage of the deformation procedure recently used to describe kinklike defects in order to build…

The physics of disordered media, from metallic glasses to colloidal suspensions, granular matter and biological tissues, offers difficult challenges because it often occurs far from equilibrium, in materials lacking symmetries and evolving…

Gradient-based algorithms are a cornerstone of artificial neural network training, yet it remains unclear whether biological neural networks use similar gradient-based strategies during learning. Experiments often discover a diversity of…

The adaptive learning capabilities seen in biological neural networks are largely a product of the self-modifying behavior emerging from online plastic changes in synaptic connectivity. Current methods in Reinforcement Learning (RL) only…

A fundamental aspect of learning in biological neural networks is the plasticity property which allows them to modify their configurations during their lifetime. Hebbian learning is a biologically plausible mechanism for modeling the…

As we enter the age of designer matter - where objects can morph and change shape on command - what tools do we need to create shape-shifting structures? At the heart of an elastic deformation is the combination of dilation and distortion,…

We investigate the fragmentation process of solid materials with crystalline and amorphous phases using the discrete element method. Damage initiates inside spherical samples above the contact zone in a region where the circumferential…

Robotic manipulation of deformable linear objects (DLOs) presents significant challenges due to complex dynamics and frequent self-occlusions. Existing robotic knot tying methods typically rely on precise topological state tracking with…

With the field of rigid-body robotics having matured in the last fifty years, routing, planning, and manipulation of deformable objects have recently emerged as a more untouched research area in many fields ranging from surgical robotics to…

Topological defects play a critical role across many fields, mediating phase transitions and macroscopic behaviors as they move through space. Their role as robust information carriers has also generated much attention. However, controlling…

The accuracy and fidelity of deformation simulations are highly dependent upon the underlying constitutive material model. Commonly used linear or nonlinear constitutive material models only cover a tiny part of possible material behavior.…

Structural hierarchy, in which materials possess distinct features on multiple length scales, is ubiquitous in nature; diverse biological materials, such as bone, cellulose, and muscle, have as many as ten hierarchical levels. Structural…

We propose a machine learning approach to address a key challenge in materials science: predicting how fractures propagate in brittle materials under stress, and how these materials ultimately fail. Our methods use deep learning and train…

In diverse physical systems stable oscillatory solutions devolve into more complicated dynamical behaviour through border-collision bifurcations. Mathematically these occur when a stable fixed point of a piecewise-smooth map collides with a…

Networks of elastic beams can deform either by stretching or bending of their members. The primary mode of deformation (bending or stretching) crucially depends on the specific details of the network architecture. In order to shed light on…

Natural materials often feature a combination of soft and stiff phases, arranged to achieve excellent mechanical properties, such as high strength and toughness. Many natural materials have even independently evolved to have similar…

The shape assumed by a slender elastic structure is a function both of the geometry of the space in which it exists and the forces it experiences. We explore by experiments and theoretical analysis, the morphological phase-space of a…