Programmable Matter and Shape-Shifting Objects
Intro
Almost everyone has watched or heard about the Transformers, where alien metal beings from another planet can transform from their walking, human-like form into a form that resembles any vehicle that they so choose. More specifically, in the movie Transformers: Age of Extinction, a company takes advantage of the spoils of a transformer battle to investigate the programmable matter or a type of metal that takes the shape of whatever one wants with just a thought or a few clicks of a button. In reality, this idea is still relatively distant, but there is currently a good deal of research being conducted by faculties and private companies to attempt to recreate such transformative technologies. Programmable matter and shapeshifting objects have the potential to transform industries and daily life, but challenges remain in their development and implementation.
What is Programmable Matter?
Generally, programmable matter refers to materials that can be programmed to exhibit specific behaviors or properties, which allows for adaptive and responsive systems. While it is a relatively new field, its emergence has already sparked debate on whether or not this development is worth its time and its ethical concerns. However, the idea has potentially limitless implications in any field, especially robotics, aerospace, and biomedical engineering. Recently, researchers have found success in programmable matter through the use of microfluidics, electroactive polymers, and shape-memory alloys. Programmable matter is designed to have the ability to be reconfigurable and adaptable to its surroundings. The integration of advanced technology allows for self-healing materials, shape-shifting structures, and adaptive surfaces.
So far, there are a few significant different types of programmable matter. First, there are shape-memory alloys (SMAs). These are usually metal alloys that can change shape in response to temperature and can be programmed to remember specific shapes or properties. Since SMAs can be programmed to remember specific shapes at specific temperatures, it has significant applications in self-deploying structures or morphing aircraft wings. Second, electroactive polymers (EAPs) can change their shape in response to electrical stimuli. Their composition of dielectric materials allows them to generate deformations when subjected to electric fields, gaining their applications in artificial muscles and soft robotics. Yet another type of programmable matter can be obtained through the use of microfluidics and nanotechnology. Microfluidic devices can reconfigure their structure when there are changes in fluid pressure or flow rate, and nanoparticles can self-assemble into specific structures in response to all sorts of external stimuli. Exaggerated examples of this can be Venom (even though Venom has a mind of its own) or Tony Stark’s Iron Man Suit in Avengers: Infinity War.
Overall, the dynamic and flexible abilities of programmable matter allow for applications in various fields of research. It enables the creation of adaptive systems that respond to in-the-moment situations, pushing technology forward in our modern age. Beyond this, efforts have been made to implement AI and machine learning into the programmable matter, and researchers have developed AI-powered systems that can control and adapt the behavior of programmable matter in real-time (Physics News).
Applications of Programmable Matter
As previously said, programmable matter has applications everywhere, but its most prominent are in robotics, medicine, and aerospace. In 2010, researchers at MIT and Harvard worked to develop a reconfigurable robot by combining origami and electrical engineering. Distributed Robotics Laboratory at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Professor Daniela Rus had been researching the idea that “small, uniform robots could snap together like intelligent Legos to create larger, more versatile robots.” However, lacking resolute progress, she goes to CSAIL’s genius Erik Demaine, who joined the MIT faculty at age 20 in 2001 and became the youngest professor in MIT history. Demaine introduced the idea of origami folding sheets of metal to build up a product, but there seemed to be something lacking. They were coming into contact with insurmountable roadblocks. Their prototype, made from glass-fiber and hydrocarbon materials, had 16 squares around a centimeter across, but Demaine insisted they needed the sections to be smaller to truly establish a breakthrough. Assumptions that the triangles in the box-pleated material were themselves somewhat flexible, which may not be the case with, for instance, tiny sheets of material carved out of silicon, held them back from a real engineerable design (Hardesty).
On the other hand, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology finds success and hope in its research. They showcased how microscale melting and cooling for a wide range of materials can be manipulated to form different shapes. This technology, Professor Wouter van der Wijngaart, a researcher in the Division of Micro and Nanosystems at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm finds, “could enable limitless on-the-fly creation of tools and other objects, without introducing additional materials,” deeming it a revolutionary breakthrough. He writes on how observations show “it can reshape objects to pass through narrow gaps and reconstitute them into any target shape” and could therefore achieve any shape required, which “could lead to advancements that were once deemed impossible” (Callahan). In the field of soft machines, yet another breakthrough has been achieved. Inspired by nature’s very own octopus, a research team, led by Professor Jiyun Kim in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UNIST had successfully developed an encodable material that can tune its shape and mechanical properties in real-time. This new development exhibits incredible capabilities including but not limited to: memory, stress-strain response, and reusable energy absorption. Jun Kyu Choe (Combined MS/Ph.D. Program of Materials Science and Engineering, UNIST) states something similar to Wijngaart, finding the metamaterial “can implement desired characteristics within minutes, without the need for additional hardware” (UNIST). Therefore, while it may be incredibly difficult and unfruitful, the development of shape-shifting objects is possible, serving as a testament to what the human race can accomplish.
Challenges and Limitations
Besides its engineering obstacles, the development and widespread adoption of programmable matter and shape-shifting objects is less than hopeful. While many breakthroughs have been made, their real-world large-scale acceptance and use of these products are nearly impossible. The challenge of scalability requires the creation of materials that can be easily replicated and scaled up to larger sizes while maintaining their properties. As the size of the material increases, so does its complexities, and small changes in the material’s composition or structure could lead to significant consequences in its behavior, making large-scale production tough. Another largely impactful challenge is the object’s stability, as it must be able to consistently perform the tasks it was designed for over time. As such, the materials must be able to withstand many cycles of deformation without fail.
Conclusion, Solutions, and Future Research
Reconfigurable materials are without a doubt one of the most promising areas of research in the many years to come. Research done in microfluidic, EAPs, and SMAs has seen incredible success. Problems such as scalability are still an issue, but perhaps the challenge of material stability can be solved with the future development of self-healing materials, which would be able to repair themselves after damage. What’s more, the development of these materials has significant implications in nearly every field of research, from biomedical devices to energy harvesting. The high potential ceiling of these shape-shifting objects serves as a guiding light of hope for researchers who aspire to be able to innovate programmable matter for the betterment of our world. This incredible technology, as seen by many others, has the power to entirely transform the planet that we call home, and maybe, just maybe, those things in movies will become a reality.
References
Callahan, David. "Material science advance could lead to airplanes that optimize their shape in flight." EurekAlert!, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 15 Jan. 2024, www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1031297. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Hardesty, Larry. "Shape-shifting robots." MIT News, MIT News Office, 5 Aug. 2010, news.mit.edu/2010/programmable-matter-0805. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, editor. "Revolutionary breakthrough in Programmable Matter: Solid-liquid phase change pumping unleashes unprecedented shape-shifting abilities." Digital Futures, 2 Jan. 2024, www.digitalfutures.kth.se/2024/01/02/revolutionary-breakthrough-in-programmable-matter-solid-liquid-phase-change-pumping-unleashes-unprecedented-shape-shifting-abilities/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Physics News. "Programmable Matter: Materials That Morph on Demand." Quantum Zeitgeist, Hadmard, 4 Nov. 2024, quantumzeitgeist.com/programmable-matter-materials-that-morph-on-demand/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
UNIST, editor. "Scientists Create World's First Shape-Shifting, Property-Changing Metamaterial." Technology Networks, UNIST, 1 Mar. 2024, www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/scientists-create-worlds-first-shape-shifting-property-changing-metamaterial-384390. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.