New programmable material research ‘could revolutionise engineering’

Scientists in Switzerland have been able to develop a new type of programmable material that could potentially revolutionise the field of mechanical engineering.

The team from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology and ETH Zurich have produced a prototype of a vibration-damping material that can also specifically conduct certain frequencies further.

Their working model consists of a one-metre by one-centimetre aluminium plate that is one millimetre thick. It allows users to control exactly whether and how waves are allowed to propagate in the sheet-metal strip.

It is thought that a material like this could have a wide variety of applications. Currently, vibration properties are determined by the selection of the material and the geometry of the part, but in future, components could react to vibration readings and adapt its properties in real time.

Project supervisor Andrea Bergamini said: "As the next step, we want to interconnect the elements with each other to be able to control them jointly or in a coordinated fashion."

The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology is a leading interdisciplinary research and services institution for material sciences and technology development. It is home to many of the world's leading experts in this field.