2025-06-06 ノースカロライナ州立大学 (NC State)
Photo courtesy of Haitao Qing, NC State University.
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.ncsu.edu/2025/06/structures-can-be-programmed-to-jump-days-in-advance/
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2503313122
ジャンピングメタシェルにおける数秒から数日間の遅延スナップをプログラム可能 Programmable seconds-to-days-long delayed snapping in jumping metashells
Haitao Qing, Caizhi Zhou, Fangjie Qi, and Jie Yin
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Published:June 6, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2503313122
Significance
Timekeeping is fundamental to both nature and society, spanning from biological rhythms to mechanical clocks. However, integrating timekeeping capabilities into engineered shape-shifting systems to enable programmable, autonomous spatiotemporal motion remains a major challenge. Here, we report a general strategy that combines time-dependent viscoelastic materials and metastable architected shell structures to embed programmable elastic timekeeping functionality in a jumping metashell. The metashell exhibits controllable delayed jumping over timescales ranging from seconds to days following actuation removal. The autonomous delayed-jumping mechanism enables the creation of a class of explosive, far-reaching seed dispersal devices capable of covering large areas. This finding opens possibilities for programmable spatiotemporal jumping machines and autonomous seed dispersal systems.
Abstract
Shape-shifting structures can transform and recover their shapes in response to external stimuli, but they often lack programmable, clock-like control over spatiotemporal deformation and motion, especially after stimuli are removed. Achieving autonomous, time-regulated spatiotemporal motion remains a grand challenge. Here, we present an autonomous delayed-jumping metashell that integrates viscoelastic materials with monostable architected structures to address this limitation. The metashell with tunable prestored elastic energy features an internal time clock enabling programmable autonomous delayed snapping and jumping after actuation removal. The delay spans from seconds to 2.4 d, with jumping heights decreasing from over 9 to 0.5 body heights. We demonstrate its utility in autonomous explosive seed dispersal devices, achieving wide-area omnidirectional distribution with high survival rates. This strategy paves the way for creating autonomous spatiotemporal shape-shifting structures with broad applications in robotics, morphing matter, ecology, and intelligent systems.
