Responsive Mechanical Metamaterials for Unprecedent Wave Control and Odd Elasticity

Abstract

Biological and artificial machinery systems have utilized the approach made by sensing, actuating, and information processing to adapt themselves to environmental changes, maintain dynamic equilibrium, and execute particular functions. In this talk, we present how to leverage this approach to construct active and responsive mechanical metamaterials for enabling a range of unprecedent wave phenomena and mechanical properties. The active mechanical metamaterials are composed of piezoelectric sensors and actuators connected with digital electronic circuits. The electrical circuits implemented allow for precisely and independently modulating mechanical properties of the metamaterial through programmable transfer functions. By developing active theory, numerical simulations and conducting experimental testing, we systematically demonstrate their application in broadband wave mitigation, independently wave transmission and reflection control, non-local dynamics, wave mode conversion and odd micropolar elasticity for realizing non-Hermitian mechanics and dynamics.