Remote disassembly of electronics-free modular structures

Area of Science:

• Robotics and Mechanical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Structural Engineering

Background:

• Modular structures are essential for scalable systems.
• Current disassembly methods often require complex mechanisms or embedded electronics.
• A need exists for simple, robust, and remotely actuated disassembly solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a scalable modular structure with vibration-triggered disassembly.
• To demonstrate an electronics-free approach to remote modular system actuation.
• To enable inverse design of modular connectors for tailored disassembly properties.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cuboctahedral units with self-locking intra-connectors and geometrically programmable inter-connectors.
• Leveraged mechanical wave propagation for remote disassembly actuation.
• Conducted mechanical testing to understand vibration-induced friction reduction at inter-connectors.
• Developed a surrogate model to map connector geometry to disassembly characteristics.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated selective disassembly of modular structures using a single, remote vibration source.
• Identified that external vibration reduces the effective friction coefficient at inter-connectors.
• Successfully designed inter-connectors with tailored triggering power and release energy via inverse design.
• Showcased diverse applications including staged deployment, underwater disassembly, and 3D deployment.

Conclusions:

• The proposed modular structure offers a robust, simple, and scalable solution for electronics-free responsive systems.
• Vibration-triggered disassembly is a viable mechanism for remote actuation of modular structures.
• The inverse design approach enables precise control over connector disassembly properties.