Magnetic Poles Enabled Kirigami Meta-Structure for High-Efficiency Mechanical Memory Storage

Some bi/multi-stable mechanical meta-structures are implemented as mechanical memory devices, which are with limits such as complex structural forms, low information storage capability and/or fragile structural stability to maintain the stored information bits robustly under external interferences. To address these issues, the structural intelligence is addressed by constructing a simple 3D-printable multi-layered cylindrical kirigami module with gradient structural parameters and a high-efficiency mechanical memory device that can robustly store information bits exponentially larger than previous designs is proposed. The promising enhancement of information storage capability is demonstrated for the proposed mechanical memory device and relies on two mechanisms: 1) the deformation sequences of the kirigami module enabled by the gradient structural parameter, which brings the extra dimensional degree of freedom to break the traditional mechanical memory unit with only planar form and merits information bits with spatially combinatorial programmability, and 2) the combinatorics of the deformation independences among the cylindrical kirigami unit arrays in the constructed mechanical memory device. Particularly, both the structural stabilities and the desired structural robustness are achieved in the mechanical memory devices by additively introducing magnetic "N-S" poles in units, which can protect the stored information from interferences like mechanical crushing, impact, and/or vibration. A new high-efficiency mechanical memory device is proposed with ultra-high information storage capability and high structural stability robust to resist severe external interference. Introducing the gradient structural design concept and referring to magnetic poles for achieving structural stability on intrinsically buckling-instability based structure pave a new way to design mechanical meta-structures/metamaterials with unexpected properties and functionalities.image