Shape-morphing structures are at the core of future applications in aeronautics 1 , minimally invasive surgery 2 , tissue engineering 3 or smart materials 4. Current engineering technologies, based on inhomogeneous actuation across the thickness of slender structures, are however intrinsically limited to one-directional bending 5. Here, we describe a strategy where mesostructured elastomer plates undergo fast, controllable and complex shape transformations under applied pressure. Similarly to pioneering techniques based on soft hydro-gel swelling 6-10 , these pneumatic shape morphing elastomers, termed here as baromorphs, are inspired by the morphogenesis of biological structures 11-15. Geometric restrictions are overcome by controlling precisely the local growth rate and direction through a specific network of airways embedded inside the rubber plate. We show how arbitrary 3D shapes can be programmed using an analytic theoretical model, propose a direct geometric solution to the inverse problem and illustrate the versatility of the technique with a collection of configurations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.