Arbitrary Mechanical Memory Encoding via Nonlinear Waves in Bistable Metamaterials.

Authors

Audrey A Watkins, Giovanni Bordiga, Mingxing Mu, Vincent Tournat, Katia Bertoldi

Published in

Physical review letters. Volume 137. Issue 9. Pages 097201. Aug 28, 2026.

Abstract

Mechanical metamaterials composed of bistable elements have recently emerged as promising platforms for mechanical memory. Traditional approaches to writing information in these systems typically rely on localized actuation or predefined coupling schemes, which are often labor-intensive or lack adaptability. In this Letter, we introduce a one-dimensional metamaterial consisting of mass-in-mass bistable units that are statically decoupled yet dynamically switchable, allowing arbitrary mechanical information to be encoded through nonlinear waves applied at the boundary of the system. Through a combination of experiments and simulations, we demonstrate that tailored input signals can selectively trigger state transitions deep within the structure, enabling remote and programmable bit writing. This approach opens a new avenue for mechanical memory, harnessing the robustness of bistable elements and the tunability of nonlinear wave-driven actuation.

PMID:
42726967
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Sep 2026.

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