arXiv subjects

Kon-Well Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Kon-Well Wang.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Interdisciplinary Workshop on Mechanical Intelligence: Summary Report

This report provides a summary of the outcomes of the Interdisciplinary Workshop on Mechanical Intelligence held in 2024. Mechanical Intelligence (MI) represents the phenomenon that novel structural features of material/biological/robotic systems can encode intelligence through responsiveness, adaptivity, memory, and learning in the mechanical structure itself. This is in contrast to computational intelligence, wherein the intelligence functions occur through electrical signaling and computer code. The two-day workshop was held at NSF headquarters on May 30-31 and included 38 invited academic researcher participants, and 8 program officers from the NSF. The workshop was structured around active small and large group discussions in groups of 4-5 and 9-10 with the goal of addressing topical questions on MI. Working groups entered notes into shared presentation slides for each discussion session and presented their outcomes in a final presentation on the last day. Here we summarize the overall outcomes of the workshop.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2023

Cellular automata inspired multistable origami metamaterials for mechanical learning

Recent advances in multistable metamaterials reveal a link between structural configuration transition and Boolean logic, heralding a new generation of computationally capable intelligent materials. To enable higher-level computation, existing computational frameworks require the integration of large-scale networked logic gates, which places demanding requirements on the fabrication of materials counterparts and the propagation of signals. Inspired by cellular automata, we propose a novel computational framework based on multistable origami metamaterials by incorporating reservoir computing, which can accomplish high-level computation tasks without the need to construct a logic gate network. This approach thus eleimates the demanding requirements for fabrication of materials and signal propagation when constructing large-scale networks for high-level computation in conventional mechano-logic. Using the multistable stacked Miura-origami metamaterial as a validation platform, digit recognition is successfully implemented through experiments by a single actuator. Moreover, complex tasks, such as handwriting recognition and 5-bit memory tasks, are also shown to be feasible with the new computation framework. Our research represents a significant advancement in developing a new generation of intelligent materials with advanced computational capabilities. With continued research and development, these materials could have a transformative impact on a wide range of fields, from computational science to material mechano-intelligence technology and beyond.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Discriminative transition sequences of origami metamaterials for mechano-logic

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.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2020

Broadband Frequency and Spatial On-Demand Tailoring of Topological Wave Propagation Harnessing Piezoelectric Metamaterials

Recent studies have developed tunable topological elastic metamaterials to maximize performance in the presence of varying external conditions, adapt to changing operating requirements, and enable new functionalities such as a programmable wave path. However, a challenge remains to achieve a tunable topological metamaterial that is comprehensively adaptable in both the frequency and spatial domains and is effective over a broad frequency bandwidth that includes a subwavelength regime. To advance the state of the art, this research presents a piezoelectric metamaterial with the capability to concurrently tailor the frequency, path, and mode shape of topological waves using resonant circuitry. In the research presented in this manuscript, the plane wave expansion method is used to detect a frequency tunable subwavelength Dirac point in the band structure of the periodic unit cell and discover an operating region over which topological wave propagation can exist. Dispersion analyses for a finite strip illuminate how circuit parameters can be utilized to adjust mode shapes corresponding to topological edge states. A further evaluation provides insight into how increased electromechanical coupling and lattice reconfiguration can be exploited to enhance the frequency range for topological wave propagation, increase achievable mode localization, and attain additional edge states. Topological guided wave propagation that is subwavelength in nature and adaptive in path, localization, and frequency is illustrated in numerical simulations of thin plate structures. Outcomes from the presented work indicate that the easily integrable and comprehensively tunable proposed metamaterial could be employed in applications requiring a multitude of functions over a broad frequency bandwidth.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

On the wave propagation analysis and supratransmission prediction of a metastable modular metastructure for non-reciprocal energy transmission

In this research, we investigate in-depth the nonlinear energy transmission phenomenon in a metastable modular metastructure and develop efficient tools for the design of such systems. Previous studies on a one-dimensional (1D) reconfigurable metastable modular chain uncover that when the driving frequency is within the stopband of the periodic structure, there exists a threshold input amplitude, beyond which sudden increase in the energy transmission can be observed. This onset of transmission is caused by nonlinear instability and is known as supratransmission. Due to spatial asymmetry of strategically configured constituents, such transmission thresholds could shift considerably when the structure is excited from different ends and therefore enabling the non-reciprocal energy transmission. This one-way propagation characteristic can be adaptable via reconfiguring the metastable modular system. In this new study, we build upon these findings and advance the state of the art by (a) exploring the different mechanisms that are able to activate the onset of supratransmission and their implications on wave energy transmission potential, and (b) developing an effective design tool - a localized nonlinear-linear model combined with harmonic balancing and transfer matrix analyses to analytically and efficiently predict the critical threshold amplitude of the metastable modular chain. These investigations provide important new understandings of the rich and intricate dynamics achievable by nonlinearity, asymmetry, and metastability, and create opportunities to accomplish adaptable non-reciprocal wave energy transmission

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Origami Lattices and Folding-induced Lattice Transformations

Lattices and their underlying symmetries play a central role in determining the physical properties and applications of many natural and engineered materials. By bridging the lattice geometry and rigid-folding kinematics, this study elucidates that origami offers a comprehensive solution to a long-standing challenge regarding the lattice-based materials: how to systematically construct a lattice and transform it among different symmetric configurations in a predictable, scalable, and reversible way? Based on a group of origamis consisting of generic degree-4 vertices, we successfully construct all types of 2D and 3D Bravais lattices, and demonstrate that they can undergo all diffusionless phase transformations via rigid-folding (i.e., dilation, extension, contraction, shear, and shuffle). Such folding-induced lattice transformations can trigger fundamental lattice-symmetry switches, which can either maintain or reconstruct the nearest neighborhood relationships according to a continuous symmetry measure. This study can foster the next generation of transformable lattice structures and materials with on-demand property tuning capabilities.

physics.app-ph↗