Combinatorial Design of Textured Mechanical Metamaterials
Channel: FastFactsSciencetube
Date: 2016-07-27

On an apparently normal cube a pattern of hollows and bulges appears when the cube is compressed. Physicists from FOM Institute AMOLF and Leiden University together with colleagues from Tel Aviv University have developed a method to design such three-dimensional structures and to construct these using simple building blocks.

This paves the way for the use of 'machine materials' in, for example, prostheses and wearable technology. The researchers published their findings in Nature. 

Corentin Coulais, Eial Teomy, Koen de Reus, Yair Shokef and Martin van Hecke
Combinatorial Design of Textured Mechanical Metamaterials
Nature, 535, 529-532 (2016)
DOI:10.1038/nature18960

Produced by Fast Facts
Animation: Henk-Jan Boluijt

Made by Moira van Dijk 2016
In collaboration with
Camera & editing: Jonathan Massey | Persistent Vision
Music: Daan van West
Graphic design: SproetS