29 May 2024 | Chunlong Wang, Hongwei Guo, Rongqiang Liu, Zongquan Deng, Yan Chen, Zhong You
This study presents a new type of origami-inspired multistable metamorphic structure composed of modular bistable units, each of which is a rigid origami. The structure's bistability arises from the elasticity of the creases and the switching of mountain and valley crease lines. The resulting structure can switch among multiple configurations with programmable profiles, enabling it to change its shape and mechanical properties. The concept was validated through potential energy analysis and experiments. The researchers developed a robotic limb capable of both lifting and gripping through configuration changes and a metamaterial whose properties could change with configuration variations. These examples demonstrate the concept's versatility and potential for various applications.
The origami unit is composed of two similar cells, each with a rigid origami pattern and a single degree of freedom. The unit becomes bistable when the active creases are elastic. Assemblies of such units lead to metamorphic structures that can change their shapes and are reconfigurable through switching of stable configurations. The mechanical properties and functions of the structure can be altered within the same structure. The units are scalable and modular, and the number of stable configurations depends on the stiffness of the creases and the rest states of the origami cells, not the materials of the rigid facets.
The researchers demonstrated the concept by building a robotic limb that can reconfigure its operational profiles to lift or hold weights of various shapes and a programmable mechanical metamaterial that can alter its mechanical properties such as Poisson's ratios. Prototypes were fabricated to validate these concepts. The study also shows that the structure can be used to create reconfigurable and programmable mechanical metamaterials with desirable features such as negative Poisson's ratio, variable stiffness, and shape transformations.
The study highlights the potential of origami-inspired structures for creating reconfigurable and multifunctional systems, including robotic limbs and metamaterials. The findings are validated by experiments, showing that the kinematic behavior of the physical models is close to the rigid origami behavior. The method can be extended to larger and smaller scales, and the metamaterials can be designed to achieve target geometry configurations and physical properties. The research offers a new design paradigm for reconfigurable shape morphing structures and metamaterial architecture that can be used to realize multifunctional robotic systems, bioinspired morphing mechanisms, and advanced metamaterials.This study presents a new type of origami-inspired multistable metamorphic structure composed of modular bistable units, each of which is a rigid origami. The structure's bistability arises from the elasticity of the creases and the switching of mountain and valley crease lines. The resulting structure can switch among multiple configurations with programmable profiles, enabling it to change its shape and mechanical properties. The concept was validated through potential energy analysis and experiments. The researchers developed a robotic limb capable of both lifting and gripping through configuration changes and a metamaterial whose properties could change with configuration variations. These examples demonstrate the concept's versatility and potential for various applications.
The origami unit is composed of two similar cells, each with a rigid origami pattern and a single degree of freedom. The unit becomes bistable when the active creases are elastic. Assemblies of such units lead to metamorphic structures that can change their shapes and are reconfigurable through switching of stable configurations. The mechanical properties and functions of the structure can be altered within the same structure. The units are scalable and modular, and the number of stable configurations depends on the stiffness of the creases and the rest states of the origami cells, not the materials of the rigid facets.
The researchers demonstrated the concept by building a robotic limb that can reconfigure its operational profiles to lift or hold weights of various shapes and a programmable mechanical metamaterial that can alter its mechanical properties such as Poisson's ratios. Prototypes were fabricated to validate these concepts. The study also shows that the structure can be used to create reconfigurable and programmable mechanical metamaterials with desirable features such as negative Poisson's ratio, variable stiffness, and shape transformations.
The study highlights the potential of origami-inspired structures for creating reconfigurable and multifunctional systems, including robotic limbs and metamaterials. The findings are validated by experiments, showing that the kinematic behavior of the physical models is close to the rigid origami behavior. The method can be extended to larger and smaller scales, and the metamaterials can be designed to achieve target geometry configurations and physical properties. The research offers a new design paradigm for reconfigurable shape morphing structures and metamaterial architecture that can be used to realize multifunctional robotic systems, bioinspired morphing mechanisms, and advanced metamaterials.