Evolution of static to dynamic mechanical behavior in topological nonreciprocal robotic metamaterials

In this paper, we employ a combination of analytical and numerical techniques to investigate the dynamics of lattice envelope vector soliton solutions propagating within a one-dimensional chain of flexible mechanical metamaterial. To model the system, we formulate discrete equations that describe the longitudinal and rotational displacements of each individual rigid unit mass using a lump element approach. By applying the multiple-scales method in the context of a semi-discre...

This work presents a mechanism by which non-reciprocal wave transmission is achieved in a class of gyric metamaterial lattices with embedded rotating elements. A modulation of the device's angular momentum is obtained via prescribed rotations of a set of locally housed spinning motors and are then used to induce space-periodic, time-periodic, as well as space-time-periodic variations which influence wave propagation in distinct ways. Owing to their dependence on gyroscopic ef...

Various two-dimensional fabrication methods, such as deposition, etching, milling, laser cutting, and water jetting, suffer from asymmetry between the top and the bottom surface of fabricated parts. Such asymmetry is usually undesirable and can compromise functionality, or at least add uncertainty to fabricated components. The common practice is to assume symmetry between the top and the bottom surfaces by using average dimensions. In this study, we harness such asymmetry to ...

In this paper we study Maxwell lattices with non-rectilinear constraints, where the elastic energy is determined by the collective motion of three or more particles, in contrast to a rectilinear spring whose elastic energy only relies on the displacement of two particles attached to the two ends of the spring. Utilizing polygon-shaped constraints, we found that the Maxwell counting argument and the topological construction, based on the compatibility matrix and the equilibriu...

Space-time-varying materials pledge to deliver nonreciprocal dispersion in linear systems by inducing an artificial momentum bias. Although such a paradigm eliminates the need for actual motion of the medium, experimental realization of space-time structures with dynamically changing material properties has been elusive. In this letter, we present an elastic metamaterial that exploits stiffness variations in an array of geometrically phase-shifted resonators -- rather than ex...

There has been significant recent interest in the mechanics community to design structures that can either violate reciprocity, or exhibit elastic asymmetry or odd elasticity. While these properties are highly desirable to enable mechanical metamaterials to exhibit novel wave propagation phenomena, it remains an open question as to how to design passive structures that exhibit both significant non-reciprocity and elastic asymmetry. In this paper, we first define several desig...

Mechanical metamaterials are periodic lattice structures with complex unit cell architectures that can achieve extraordinary mechanical properties beyond the capability of bulk materials. A new class of metamaterials is proposed, whose mechanical properties rely on deformation-induced transitions in nodal-topology by formation of internal self-contact. The universal nature of the principle presented, is demonstrated for tension, compression, shear and torsion. In particular, ...

Intelligent biological systems are characterized by their embodiment in a complex environment and the intimate interplay between their nervous systems and the nonlinear mechanical properties of their bodies. This coordination, in which the dynamics of the motor system co-evolved to reduce the computational burden on the brain, is referred to as ``mechanical intelligence'' or ``morphological computation''. In this work, we seek to develop machine learning analogs of this proce...

Topological metamaterials have invaded the mechanical world, demonstrating acoustic cloaking and waveguiding at finite frequencies and variable, tunable elastic response at zero frequency. Zero frequency topological states have previously relied on the Maxwell condition, namely that the system has equal numbers of degrees of freedom and constraints. Here, we show that otherwise rigid periodic mechanical structures are described by a map with a nontrivial topological degree (a...

We investigate non-Hermitian elastic lattices characterized by non-local feedback control interactions. In one-dimensional lattices, we show that the proportional control interactions produce complex dispersion relations characterized by gain and loss in opposite propagation directions. Depending on the non-local nature of the control interactions, the resulting non-reciprocity occurs in multiple frequency bands characterized by opposite non-reciprocal behavior. The dispersio...