November 22, 2024

Not Science Fiction: Harvard Scientists Have Developed an “Intelligent” Liquid

Credit: SciTechDaily.comScientists have actually developed a metafluid with programmable response.Scientists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have established a programmable metafluid with tunable springiness, optical properties, viscosity and even the capability to shift in between a Non-Newtonian and newtonian fluid.The first-of-its-kind metafluid uses a suspension of small, elastomer spheres– in between 50 to 500 microns– that buckle under pressure, radically altering the qualities of the fluid.”We reveal that we can use this fluid to enhance intelligence into a simple robot,” said Djellouli.The group also showed a fluidic reasoning gate that can be reprogrammed by changing the metafluid.Optical Properties and Fluid StatesThe metafluid likewise changes its optical properties when exposed to changing pressures.When the capsules are round, they scatter light, making the liquid nontransparent, much like air bubbles make oxygenated water appear white. These optical homes might be utilized for a range of applications, such as e-inks that change color based on pressure.The scientists likewise revealed that when the capsules are spherical, the metafluid behaves like a Newtonian fluid, suggesting its viscosity only changes in action to temperature level.”The application space for these scalable, easy-to-produce metafluids is substantial,” stated Bertoldi.Reference: “Shell buckling for programmable metafluids” by Adel Djellouli, Bert Van Raemdonck, Yang Wang, Yi Yang, Anthony Caillaud, David Weitz, Shmuel Rubinstein, Benjamin Gorissen and Katia Bertoldi, 3 April 2024, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-024-07163-zHarvards Office of Technology Development has protected the intellectual residential or commercial property associated with this research and is exploring commercialization opportunities.The research was supported in part by the NSF through the Harvard University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center grant number DMR-2011754.

Credit: SciTechDaily.comScientists have actually developed a metafluid with programmable response.Scientists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have actually established a programmable metafluid with tunable springiness, optical properties, viscosity and even the capability to transition between a Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid.The first-of-its-kind metafluid uses a suspension of little, elastomer spheres– in between 50 to 500 microns– that buckle under pressure, radically changing the qualities of the fluid.”We reveal that we can utilize this fluid to endow intelligence into a simple robotic,” stated Djellouli.The team also showed a fluidic reasoning gate that can be reprogrammed by altering the metafluid.Optical Properties and Fluid StatesThe metafluid also alters its optical residential or commercial properties when exposed to changing pressures.When the capsules are round, they scatter light, making the liquid nontransparent, much like air bubbles make aerated water appear white.”The application area for these scalable, easy-to-produce metafluids is big,” said Bertoldi.Reference: “Shell buckling for programmable metafluids” by Adel Djellouli, Bert Van Raemdonck, Yang Wang, Yi Yang, Anthony Caillaud, David Weitz, Shmuel Rubinstein, Benjamin Gorissen and Katia Bertoldi, 3 April 2024, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-024-07163-zHarvards Office of Technology Development has actually safeguarded the intellectual property associated with this research and is exploring commercialization opportunities.The research was supported in part by the NSF through the Harvard University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center grant number DMR-2011754.