Solitons play an essential role in biological systems, being relevant for protein folding and morphogenesis– the development of cells or organs.The special functions of topological solitons– that they can move around however constantly keep their shape and can not all of a sudden disappear– are particularly fascinating when integrated with so-called non-reciprocal interactions. The non-reciprocal forces are proportional to the rotation caused by the soliton, such that each soliton generates its own driving force. These performances would then not be controlled from a central point, however rather emerge from the amount of the robots active parts.All in all, the domino effect of solitons in metamaterials, now an interesting observation in the lab, may quickly begin to play a role in various branches of engineering and design.Reference: “Non-reciprocal topological solitons in active metamaterials” by Jonas Veenstra, Oleksandr Gamayun, Xiaofei Guo, Anahita Sarvi, Chris Ventura Meinersen and Corentin Coulais, 20 March 2024, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-024-07097-6.
In a brand-new research study published in Nature, researchers from the University of Amsterdam show the atypical behavior of topological solitons in a robotic metamaterial, something which in the future might be utilized to control how robots move, notice their environments, and communicate.Topological solitons can be found in many locations and at numerous various length scales. Solitons play an important role in biological systems, being pertinent for protein folding and morphogenesis– the development of cells or organs.The special functions of topological solitons– that they can move around however always maintain their shape and can not suddenly disappear– are especially fascinating when combined with so-called non-reciprocal interactions. The non-reciprocal forces are proportional to the rotation triggered by the soliton, such that each soliton creates its own driving force. The system that produces the self-driving, one-directional solitons uncovered in this research study, can be utilized to manage the motion of different types of waves (understood as waveguiding), or to endow a metamaterial with a basic info processing capability such as filtering.Future robotics can also use topological solitons for standard robotic functionalities such as motion, sending out signals, and noticing their environments. These performances would then not be controlled from a main point, however rather emerge from the sum of the robots active parts.All in all, the domino result of solitons in metamaterials, now an intriguing observation in the lab, might soon begin to play a function in various branches of engineering and design.Reference: “Non-reciprocal topological solitons in active metamaterials” by Jonas Veenstra, Oleksandr Gamayun, Xiaofei Guo, Anahita Sarvi, Chris Ventura Meinersen and Corentin Coulais, 20 March 2024, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-024-07097-6.
