Shape-programmable magnetic soft matter.
Shape-programmable matter is a class of active materials whose geometry can be controlled to potentially achieve mechanical functionalities beyond those of traditional machines. Among these materials, magnetically actuated matter is particularly promising for achieving complex time-varying shapes at small scale (overall dimensions smaller than 1 cm). However, previous work can only program these materials for limited applications, as they rely solely on human intuition to approximate the required magnetization profile and actuating magnetic fields for their materials. Here, we propose a universal programming methodology that can automatically generate the required magnetization profile and actuating fields for soft matter to achieve new time-varying shapes. The universality of the proposed method can therefore inspire a vast number of miniature soft devices that are critical in robotics, smart engineering surfaces and materials, and biomedical devices. Our proposed method includes theoretical formulations, computational strategies, and fabrication procedures for programming magnetic soft matter. The presented theory and computational method are universal for programming 2D or 3D time-varying shapes, whereas the fabrication technique is generic only for creating planar beams. Based on the proposed programming method, we created a jellyfish-like robot, a spermatozoid-like undulating swimmer, and an artificial cilium that could mimic the complex beating patterns of its biological counterpart.
Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
Guo Zhan
GZ
Lum
Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
Zhou
Z
Ye
Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
Xiaoguang
X
Dong
School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287.
Hamid
H
Marvi
Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
Onder
O
Erin
Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
Wenqi
W
Hu
Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; sitti@is.mpg.de.
Metin
M
Sitti
magnetic actuation; miniature devices; multifunctional materials; programmable matter; soft robots
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