Phys.org October 22, 2021
Researchers at Harvard University have created structural materials, they call totimorphic materials, that have an arbitrary range of shape-morphing capabilities. By having a neutrally stable unit cell they could separate the geometry of the material from its mechanical response at both the individual and solved the problem of balancing the needs of conformability and rigidity. They connected individual unit cells with naturally stable joints, building 2-D and 3-D structures from individual totimorphic cells. Using both mathematical modeling and real-world demonstrations they showed the material’s shape-shifting ability. One single sheet of totimorphic cells could curve up, twist into a helix, morph into the shape of two distinct faces and even bear weight. The materials can be scaled down to be used as sensors in robotics or biotechnology or could be scaled up to be used at the architectural scale…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a shape-shifting material that can take and hold any possible shape…Credit: Harvard SEAS