Phys.org November 2, 2021
A team of researchers in the US (University of Missouri, University of Chicago) has developed an artificial material that uses a computer chip to control or manipulate the processing of information that’s needed to perform the requested actions, then uses the electrical power to convert that energy into mechanical energy. The material incorporates three main functions also displayed by materials found in nature—sensing; information processing; and actuation, or movement. They control how the material responds to changes in external stimuli found in its surroundings. According to the researchers their approach, built on symmetries and conservation laws, could be exploited to design other systems such as synthetic biofilaments and membranes with feed-forward control loops…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Design and mechanics of an odd micropolar metabeam. Credit: Nature Communications volume 12, Article number: 5935 (2021)Â