Robotic Metamaterials: An Integrated Modular Approach for Users to Create Robotic Applications Hands-on

I propose augmenting initially passive structures with novel active units to enable dynamic, shape-changing, and robotic applications. Inspired by metamaterials that can employ mechanisms, I build a framework that allows users to configure passive, modular structures to perform complex tasks. A key benefit is that these structures can be repeatedly (re)configured and pneumatically actuated by users to turn the passive material into crawling robots, kinetic sculptures, or physical notification interfaces.

To this end, I present a mechanical system consisting of a flexible, passive, shearing lattice structure, as well as a rigid, and an active unit cell to be inserted into the lattice for configuration. The active unit is a closed-loop pneumatically controlled shearing cell to dynamically actuate the macroscopic movement of the structure. The passive rigid cells redirect the forces to create complex motion with a reduced number of active cells. Since predicting the placement of the rigid and active units to produce a desired behavior is challenging, I assist users by contributing an inverse design workflow using a software tool, which optimizes the cell placement to match the macroscopic, user-defined target motions and generates the control parameters for pneumatic control of the active cells.