Recently, the research paper 3D-printed chiral-based systems with reprogrammable stiffness for mechanical logics via inter-unit interactions by the team led by Professor Yang Nan from the Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Technology (Ministry of Education), Shantou University, has been published in Virtual and Physical Prototyping, a first-tier journal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The research represents an important breakthrough in the field of mechanical computing. Notably, Luo Jiahong, an undergraduate student from the 2023 Outstanding Engineers Class, and Lan Yuming, a postgraduate student, deeply participated in the core stages of this research and became important contributors to this scientific innovation.
Mechanical computing can compensate for the limitations of semi-electronic digital logic in harsh environments, and reprogrammable devices are key to flexible adjustment of computing rules. Focusing on the compression-torsion coupling characteristics of chiral metamaterials, Professor Yang Nan’s team proposed a novel mechanical logic computing method based on chiral structures. They designed a 3D-printed chiral-based system with continuously tunable stiffness, which realizes digital information processing through inter-unit interactions. The chiral units act as electrical switches and complete logical operations in response to environmental stimuli.
The team designed a double-layer chiral structural unit, which was fabricated via 3D printing using laser powder bed fusion technology. Combined with finite element analysis and experimental verification, the regulation law of geometric parameters on the torsion angle and stiffness of chiral units was clarified. The study found that reprogrammable control of system stiffness can be achieved by varying the overlapping distance of vertical panels between units. By rationally combining different chiral units, basic components such as buffers and NOT gates were successfully constructed. Furthermore, the integration of these units realized all six basic logic gates including AND, OR, and XOR. Finally, a half-adder combinational logic system was built to perform binary addition, verifying the feasibility of the proposed method in complex mechanical logic computing.
In this research, Professor Yang Nan attached great importance to the cultivation of undergraduates’ research capabilities and built a high-level scientific research platform for them. The undergraduate team deeply participated in core work including model construction, experimental testing, and simulation analysis. Under the careful guidance of Professor Yang Nan, they experienced the entire research process, from sorting out research ideas and designing experimental schemes to data processing and analysis. Through one-on-one supervision and group seminars, the team guided undergraduates to break through knowledge barriers, cultivate scientific thinking and innovation abilities, and improve professional competence in cutting-edge scientific practice, truly realizing the deep integration of teaching and research. This work was also completed in collaboration with Teacher Wei Huaxian from the School of Engineering and Professor Damiano Padovani from the Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
This research expands the design space of integrated mechanical systems and provides a new scheme for the development of mechanical computing. The developed mechanical logic system has broad application prospects in harsh environments where semiconductor devices are difficult to adapt, such as extreme temperatures, strong vibrations, and high radiation. The achievement of Professor Yang Nan’s team at Shantou University, leading undergraduates to produce high-level research results, is a vivid practice of deepening innovation and entrepreneurship education and cultivating high-quality application-oriented talents. It also provides valuable experience for university undergraduates to participate in cutting-edge scientific research.
