A new magnetically actuated metamaterial can twist, contract, and move like a robot without any motors, electronics, or internal power sources. Inspired by origami, the system—called a “meta bot”—uses modular, chiral Kresling-patterned tubes that respond dynamically to electromagnetic fields. Capable of 50 % vertical shrinkage and 25 % planar contraction, this material opens the door to a range of applications, from surgical microbots to adaptive building materials.
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Unlike conventional materials, metabots operate with no internal power or mechanical input. Instead, the team demonstrated remote-controlled behaviors like hysteresis and non-commutative transitions—responses that depend not just on input, but on the sequence in which it's applied. These complex behaviors make the material well-suited for use in soft robotics, programmable matter, and energy-dissipating structures.
Background
Metamaterials are engineered to exhibit unusual properties based on their structure rather than their composition. While these materials have shown promise in areas like optics and acoustics, controlling motion independently within them has been a persistent challenge. To overcome this, the team combined principles of origami with chiral auxetic structures. The result is a modular system in which square-based tessellations control in-plane deformation, while origami tubes manage vertical motion.
This approach moves beyond earlier designs that relied on mechanical or direct physical inputs. By shifting to electromagnetic actuation, the material can now respond instantly and remotely, especially useful in inaccessible or delicate environments like the human body or outer space.
How it Works
At the core of the design are mirrored Kresling origami tubes, arranged in pairs that twist in opposite directions when compressed. These chiral cells allow for separate control of different regions of the material using custom magnetic field patterns. The researchers demonstrated three standout behaviors:
- Multimodal deformation – The metabot can simultaneously twist by 90°, contract 25 % in-plane, and shrink 50 % out-of-plane, surpassing the strain limits of existing metamaterials.
- Hysteresis-like behavior – The material responds differently depending on its deformation history. For instance, it contracts more when twisted counterclockwise after a prior clockwise twist, similar to materials with memory effects.
- Non-commutative transitions – Sequential inputs lead to irreversible shape changes, mimicking logic gate operations in physical form.
The electromagnetic actuation system developed for this project eliminates the need for embedded electronics. “The electromagnetic fields carry both power and signal,” explained lead engineer Minjie Chen, which makes it feasible to scale the technology down to micrometer sizes. One prototype demonstrated real-time temperature modulation, shifting from reflective to absorptive states and adjusting surface temperature from 27 °C to 70 °C under sunlight.
Ragtime robots
Applications and Future Directions
The metabot’s versatility extends across disciplines. In medicine, submillimeter-scale robots could travel through blood vessels to deliver drugs or assist in minimally invasive procedures. Its ability to mimic tissue mechanics could benefit surgical training simulators. In optics and communication, the material could become a tunable lens or antenna. Its thermal switching function also suggests potential for passive cooling systems in energy-efficient buildings.
In aerospace, its lightweight, reconfigurable structure could enable self-deploying habitats or shock-absorbing satellite components.
This as a major step forward in origami-based design. The system is customizable—chirality and deformation thresholds can be tailored to fit specific tasks. Future enhancements might integrate smart materials like light-sensitive elastomers or conductive polymers for built-in sensing.
There are still challenges to address, including precision in magnetic field targeting and scalable manufacturing. But this work could significantly influence the future of soft robotics. The team is now exploring swarm-like coordination among multiple metabots operating under shared fields.
Conclusion
This research represents a significant advance in the field of metamaterials, bridging the gap between passive structures and active machines. By combining chiral origami with magnetic actuation, the team has created a reconfigurable system capable of executing complex behaviors without motors or electronics. From programmable microbots to adaptive thermal surfaces, the potential use cases are wide-ranging.
As development continues, this technology could reshape how we think about robotics—not as devices made from rigid parts, but as materials that are the machine.
Journal Reference
Zhao, T., Dang, X., Manos, K., Zang, S., Mandal, J., Chen, M., & Paulino, G. H. (2025). Modular chiral origami metamaterials. Nature, 640(8060), 931–940. DOI:10.1038/s41586-025-08851-0. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08851-0
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