Scalable information processing in conductive mechanical metamaterials

Engineered materials that possess the requisite functions of lifeforms are a fascinating platform that could augment societal functions and help preserve the quality of the resources in our environment. A pivotal function for autonomy is decision-making, which occurs at a range of levels of advancement in nature. Researchers have fashioned rudimentary examples of intelligence in engineered material systems, such as by forming the basis for AND and OR logic operations in stimuli-responsive materials. Yet, the rate of computation and complexity of operations achievable are both limited by the frameworks and materials that are considered. This presentation describes a scalable means for sequenced combinational logic operations in conductive mechanical metamaterials that facilitates rapid processing of addition, subtraction, and multiplication operations: the core of modern computing. The method exploits a new bridge among mathematics, switchable Boolean circuits, and kinematics, and realizes the computing material systems using conductive polymer networks applied to reconfigurable mechanical metamaterials. Following a detailed description of the underlying mathematical design approach, the utilization of the decision-making materials is exemplified underscoring the near-immediate rate of information processing. The next steps of research are described to help bridge this concept of decision-making to autonomous, soft matter.