Programmable Metamaterial AdaptMesh Launches: One Material Simultaneously Serves as Transparent Antenna and Flexible Battery
Harvard's Wyss Institute has released AdaptMesh, a programmable metamaterial that uses electrically controlled microstructure deformation to switch in real time between antenna, battery, sensor, and heat sink functions in a single material
Programmable Metamaterial AdaptMesh Launches: One Material Simultaneously Serves as Transparent Antenna and Flexible Battery
Harvard University's Wyss Institute today released AdaptMesh, a programmable metamaterial. This material is composed of millions of micro-reconfigurable units, each containing electromagnetic, energy storage, heat transfer, and sensing functional modules that can switch between different functions in real time via electrical signals.
In a demonstration, a 5-centimeter-square AdaptMesh sample switched from 5G antenna mode to flexible battery mode, and then to temperature sensor mode, all within 3 seconds. In antenna mode, it supports Sub-6GHz and millimeter-wave dual-band operation. In battery mode, energy density reaches 50 Wh/kg. In sensor mode, it can detect temperature changes as small as 0.01 degrees Celsius.
Project lead Professor Jennifer Lewis said: "AdaptMesh's vision is to let a single material replace multiple independent components in a device, drastically reducing the size, weight, and material variety of electronic products."
The technology has received $15 million in DARPA funding, with the first application being military wearable devices. A consumer version is expected by 2033.
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