Patent ID: 7598652

Claim:
A method of controlling a mechanical property for a meta-material, the meta-material comprising a deformable structure adapted to move or deform in a first lateral direction and a set of activation elements coupled to the deformable structure, the method comprising: activating at least one activation element from a first activation state to a second activation state, wherein the second activation state includes an electrostatic clamp that prevents relative motion along said first lateral direction in the deformable structure between two activation elements that are both mechanically coupled to the deformable structure and that are participating in the electrostatic clamp, up to a friction force along said first lateral direction, said friction forced being substantially perpendicular to and caused by an electrostatic force exerted between the two activation elements participating in the electrostatic clamp, and wherein the meta-material includes a first value for the mechanical property when the at least one activation element is in the first activation state and the meta-material includes a second value for the mechanical property when the at least one activation element has been activated to the second activation state.