Related papers: Directed Shape Morphing using Kirigami-enhanced Th…
Digital coding metasurfaces have revolutionized electromagnetic (EM) manipulation, yet typical tunable approaches based on active components suffer from the "volatility" bottleneck. While mechanical modulation provides a potential solution,…
We propose a novel computational framework for modeling and simulating origami structures. In this framework, bilinear solid-shell elements are employed to model the origami panels while crease folding is considered through the angle…
Various metallic structures of complex shape, resembling natural objects such as plants, mushrooms, and seashells, were produced when growing nanowires by means of pulsed current electroplating in porous membranes. These structures occur as…
In contrast to most self-assembling synthetic materials, which undergo unbounded growth, many biological self-assembly processes are self-limited. That is, the assembled structures have one or more finite dimensions that are much larger…
Three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a powerful tool for material, food, and life science research and development, where the technology democratization necessitates the advancement of open-source platforms. Herein, we developed a…
Shape memory structures are playing an important role in many cutting-edge intelligent fields. However, the existing technologies can only realize 4D printing of a single polymer or metal, which limits practical applications. Here, we…
Limbless creatures can crawl on flat surfaces by deforming their bodies and interacting with asperities on the ground, offering a biological blueprint for designing efficient limbless robots. Inspired by this natural locomotion, we present…
Kirigami, the creative art of paper cutting, is a promising paradigm for mechanical metamaterials. However, to make kirigami-inspired structures a reality requires controlling the topology of kirigami to achieve connectivity and rigidity.…
Metallic open cell foams have multiple applications in industry, e. g. as catalyst supports in chemical processes. Their regular or heterogeneous microscopic structure determines the macroscopic thermodynamic and chemical properties. We…
Mechanical metamaterials owe their extraordinary properties and functionalities to their micro-/nanoscale design of which shape, including both geometry and topology, is perhaps the most important aspect. 4D printing enables programmed,…
3D printing is rapidly becoming an effective means of prototyping and creating custom consumer goods. The most common method for printing a polymer melt is fused filament fabrication (FFF), and involves extrusion of a thermoplastic material…
For millions of adults with mobility limitations, eating meals is a daily challenge. A variety of robotic systems have been developed to address this societal need. Unfortunately, end-user adoption of robot-assisted feeding is limited, in…
Soft robotic grippers gently and safely manipulate delicate objects due to their inherent adaptability and softness. Limited by insufficient stiffness and imprecise force control, conventional soft grippers are not suitable for applications…
Periodic origami patterns made with repeating unit cells of creases and panels bend and twist in complex ways. In principle, such soft modes of deformation admit a simplified asymptotic description in the limit of a large number of cells.…
Graphene kirigami (patterned cuts) can be an effective way to improve some of the graphene mechanical and electronic properties. In this work, we report the first study of the mechanical and ballistic behavior of single and multilayered…
A method to simulate orthotropic behaviour in thin shell finite elements is proposed. The approach is based on the transformation of shape function derivatives, resulting in a new orthogonal basis aligned to a specified preferred direction…
Folding a sheet of paper along a curve can lead to structures seen in decorative art and utilitarian packing boxes. Here we present a theory for the simplest such structure: an annular circular strip that is folded along a central circular…
Isotropic pairwise interactions that promote the self assembly of complex particle morphologies have been discovered by inverse design strategies derived from the molecular coarse-graining literature. While such approaches provide an avenue…
Understanding and controlling the shape of thin, soft objects has been the focus of significant research efforts among physicists, biologists, and engineers in the last decade. These studies aim to utilize advanced materials in novel,…
In this work, we study the thermo-mechanical behavior of metallic structures designed to significantly change shape in response to thermal stimuli. This behavior is achieved by arranging two metals with different coefficient of thermal…