Topological protection in mechanical metamaterials
Monday, January 19, 2015 - 09:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Researchers at Leiden University, the Netherlands, showed that certain crystal defects in mechanical metamaterials can harbour topologically protected motions. These mechanical states are analogues of protected electronic states in quantum materials such as topological insulators. When actuated, such protected mechanisms could serve as the building blocks of robots. The research paves the way towards engineering nano-mechanical structures for robust information storage and read-out.