Programmable gear-based mechanical metamaterials

作者：Xin Fang, Jihong Wen, Cheng Jung Li, Dianlong Yu, Hongjia Zhang, Peter Gumbsch · 发表于：Nature Materials · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1038/s41563-022-01269-3 · 被引用次数：245 · 研究领域：Advanced Materials and Mechanics、Cellular and Composite Structures、Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence

Elastic properties of classical bulk materials can hardly be changed or adjusted in operando, while such tunable elasticity is highly desired for robots and smart machinery. Although possible in reconfigurable metamaterials, continuous tunability in existing designs is plagued by issues such as structural instability, weak robustness, plastic failure and slow response. Here we report a metamaterial design paradigm using gears with encoded stiffness gradients as the constituent elements and organizing gear clusters for versatile functionalities. The design enables continuously tunable elastic properties while preserving stability and robust manoeuvrability, even under a heavy load. Such gear-based metamaterials enable excellent properties such as continuous modulation of Young's modulus by two orders of magnitude, shape morphing between ultrasoft and solid states, and fast response. This allows for metamaterial customization and brings fully programmable materials and adaptive robots within reach.