ERI: Harnessing Chaotic Dynamics for Remote Morphing of Magnetic Metamaterials

This Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) grant will fund research that looks to develop a new class of shape-changing materials that respond to alternating magnetic fields. These materials, known as mechanical metamaterials, are designed to change shape in a controlled and efficient manner, enabling innovations in fields that require adaptable and low-energy structures. Existing shape-morphing technologies often rely on continuous power input, which limits their practicality in many real-world applications. This project will explore how oscillating magnetic fields can drive shape transformation with minimal energy consumption, potentially paving the way for advancements in flexible medical devices, deployable aerospace structures, and smart infrastructure. The broader impacts of this project include outreach through K-12 workshops, mentoring and training undergraduate and graduate students in mechanical metamaterials design, computational modeling, and experimental research, and expanding opportunities for students to engage in STEM fields. This research aims to harness chaotic dynamics and multistability to enable energy-efficient shape morphing in soft magnetic spherical multistable mechanical metamaterials. Unlike existing shape-morphing strategies that require continuous high-energy input, this work explores alternating magnetic fields as a low-energy actuation method. By leveraging the switching and reverting behaviors of multistable systems, this research will look to establish a framework for controlled, energy-efficient shape transformations. Unlike constant uniform magnetic fields, which require high magnetic field strength, alternating magnetic fields enable faster morphing with minimal energy consumption. This research will integrate analytical modeling, numerical simulations, and experimental validation in an attempt to characterize the response of these soft magnetic spherical multistable mechanical metamaterials under alternating magnetic field actuation. The findings intend to lay the foundation for energy-efficient, programmable shape-morphing of mechanical metamaterials, with broad scientific and technological impact. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.