Affiliation:
1. Department of Intelligent Systems KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm 100 44 Sweden
2. Digital Futures KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm 114 28 Sweden
Abstract
Abstract“hot flow in the cold
changes shape in a dead world
comes matter to life”Programmable matter that allows free shape transfiguration and locomotion on command promises ubiquitous access to objects or functions of interest. Current approaches for the autonomous reshaping of solid objects (smart materials, soft actuators, modular robotics) are limited in spatial resolution and shape. Solid‐liquid phase change pumping as a mechanism for the contactless transfiguring and locomotion of solid objects is introduced. Thin objects are deformed into any intended shape with sub‐millimeter resolution and the ability to freely change their topology is demonstrated, including adding or removing holes, splitting and merging. The unique locomotion of objects through millimeter‐sized constrictions narrower than their body size is demonstrated, followed by restoring the original shape. This approach opens up avenues for developing autonomous programmable matter with free shape transfiguration.
Subject
Electrochemistry,Condensed Matter Physics,Biomaterials,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials