Meta-mechanotronics for self-powered computation

There is an unceasing quest to create novel forms of intelligent active matter that exhibits sensing, energy harvesting, actuating, computing, and communication functionalities. Realizing such capabilities can provide new road maps to autonomous and electronic materials with numerous applications in robotics, human–machine interfacing, micro/nano-electromechanical systems, and flexible electronics. Here, we introduce “mechanical metamaterial electronics (meta-mechanotronics)” as a platform for designing intelligent matter that can sense external stimuli, self-power and process the information to create an integrated closed-loop control system. We achieve these advanced functionalities by fusing mechanical metamaterials, digital electronics and triboelectric nano energy harvesting technologies. Meta-mechanotronic systems use only their constituent components and integrated nanogenerator mechanisms to perform self-powered mechanical–electrical-logic and information storage operations. Thus, they establish a direct interaction mechanism between the external environment and electronics, which is a radically different approach from conventional electrically-controlled units. We demonstrate digital unit cells as building blocks for meta-mechanotronics to perform various self-powered computation functionalities. Analytical models, numerical simulations and experimental studies are performed to design a suite of electronic mechanical metamaterials capable of synthesizing discrete mechanical configurations, performing binary/ternary computations, and realizing digital logic gates, i.e., AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and XNOR. We demonstrate the capability of the framework by creating self-powered mechanically-responsive data storage devices that can store various ASCII codes. Further discussion is provided on how meta-mechanotronics and the associated circuitry can lead to developing future mechanical metamaterial computers, complementing traditional electronics with electronics made of mechanical metamaterials.