Volumetric-mapping-based inverse design of 3D architected materials and mobility control by topology reconstruction

Abstract: The recent development of modular origami structures has ushered in a new era for active metamaterials with multiple degrees of freedom (multi-DOF). Notably, no systematic inverse design approach for volumetric modular origami structures has been reported. Moreover, very few topologies of modular origami have been studied for the design of active metamaterials with multi-DOF. Herein, we develop an inverse design method and reconfigurable algorithm for constructing 3D active architected structures - we synthesize modular origami structures that can be volumetrically mapped to a target 3D shape. We can control the reconfigurability by reconstructing the topology of the architected structures. Our inverse design based on volumetric mapping with mobility control by topology reconstruction can be used to construct architected metamaterials with any 3D complex shape that are also transformable with multi-DOF. Our work opens a new path toward 3D reconfigurable structures based on volumetric inverse design. This work is significant for the design of 3D active metamaterials and 3D morphing devices for automotive, aerospace, and biomedical engineering applications.