From Arteries to Space Structures: How Tiling Mechanisms Leads to Custom Adaptation

Abstract

Advances in computational design and fabrication have driven a paradigm shift in geometric control, with mechanical mechanisms inspiring novel materials, and novel materials enabling enhanced modalities. With clear target constraints, inverse design strategies offer specific material properties, but for loosely defined problems or high degrees of freedom,there remains a gap between material generation and application-specific functionality. For morphing and large strain designs, approximating material behavior with kinematic representations of soft and hard deformation modes drastically simplifies the design space and enables streamlined evaluation. This work presents a framework for tiling mechanism-based unit cells to create novel transforming structures and materials. These designs solve problems in a broad range of fields including Robotics, Aerospace, Medical, and Civil. Pulling inspiration from both the natural and man-made world, this work investigates cases where physical transformation enhances adaptability, efficiency, and control capabilities. I examine mechanism-based morphing materials with four subclasses, (1) Linear tiling of flexible mechanisms, (2) Wrapped planar tilings (3) Hierarchical deployable metamaterials, and (4) reprogrammable shape change. Combining rational design with computational methods and geometric symmetry, this work demonstrates application-focused manipulation of geometric form for targeted function.