Discriminative transition sequences of origami metamaterials for mechano-logic

Abstract

Transitions of multistability in structures have been exploited for various functions and applications, such as spectral gap tuning, impact energy trapping, and wave steering. However, a fundamental and comprehensive understanding of the transitions, either quasi-static or dynamic transitions, has not yet been acquired, especially in terms of the sequence predictability and tailoring mechanisms. This research, utilizing the stacked Miura-ori-variant (SMOV) structure that has exceptional multistability and shape reconfigurability as a platform, uncovers the deep knowledge of quasi-static and dynamic transitions, and pioneers the corresponding versatile formation and tuning of mechanical logic gates. Through theoretical, numerical, and experimental means, discriminative and deterministic quasi-static transition sequences, including reversible and irreversible ones, are uncovered, where they constitute a transition map that is editable upon adjusting the design parameters. Via applying dynamic excitations and tailoring the excitation conditions, reversible transitions between all stable configurations become attainable, generating a fully-connected transition map. Benefiting from the nonlinearity of the quasi-static and dynamic transitions, basic and compound mechanical logic gates are achieved. The versatility of the scheme is demonstrated by employing a single SMOV structure to realize different complex logic operations without increasing structural complexity, showing its superior computing power and inspiring the avenue for efficient physical intelligence.