Material-like robotic collectives with spatiotemporal control of strength and shape
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
The vision of robotic materials-cohesive collectives of robotic units that can arrange into virtually any form with any physical properties-has long intrigued both science and fiction. Yet, this vision requires a fundamental physical challenge to be overcome: The collective must be strong, to support loads, yet flow, to take new forms. We achieve this in a material-like robotic collective by modulating the interunit tangential forces to control topological rearrangements of units within a tightly packed structure. This allows local control of rigidity transitions between solid and fluid-like states in the collective and enables spatiotemporal control of shape and strength. We demonstrate structure-forming and healing and show the collective supporting 700 newtons (500 times the weight of a robot) before "melting" under its own weight.
Details
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 880-885 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 387 |
Issue number | 6736 |
Publication status | Published - 21 Feb 2025 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMed | 39977492 |
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