Trainable and Resettable Nitinol-composites Metamaterials

We create building blocks for adaptable and resettable metamaterials by embedding nitinol wires within silicone rubber springs. Memory is encoded in the building block via plastic deformations of the wires, but can be erased by heating the nitinol wire above the activation temperature through external electrical currents. Our “nitinol springs” are adaptative, non-linear, and resettable, providing ideal building blocks for adaptable metamaterials. Combining multiple “nitinol springs” into simple geometries and harnessing drive/reset protocols, we encode multiple memories within the material.