In martial arts novels, the “soft hedgehog armor” is made of a mixture of gold silk and thousand-year-old rattan branches. In a new study of materials science published on the 11th in the British “Nature” magazine,It describes a kind of high-tech fabric imitating “chain armor” (chain armor) developed by scientists, which can change from a soft and bendable state to a hard state, achieve a strong load, and then change from a hard state. Change back. This material will be used in various robotics and medical scenarios, heralding the bright future of reconfigurable wearable structures.
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The picture shows a 3D printed “chain mail” fabric that hardens under pressure.Image source: “Nature” online version
The “soft hedgehog armor” worn by Huang Rongyi is the treasure of Peach Blossom Island. This special material originally only existed in the novel, but with the help of smart technology fabrics, it is possible to realize it. The characteristics of ordinary fabrics and fabrics are usually determined by the natural characteristics of the material and the woven structure; smart fabrics refer to materials that are adaptable, such as materials that can be changed according to external stimuli.
California Institute of Technology researcher Cheara Dallario and his colleagues designed a fabric interlocked by 3D printed polymer elements (not fabric). This fabric can be soft and hard. Gradually switch between the shapes.
When in its natural state, this fabric is easy to bend and can hang on the surface of complex objects. When in a compressed state, the interlocking particles of the fabric will be squeezed together, and the hardness is about 25 times that in the loose state. The maximum load capacity of the resulting structure is more than 30 times its own weight. Researchers believe that future reconfigurable fabrics need to fit the human body or be able to be fixed after forming a complex structure. This new feature of this 3D printing “soft hedgehog” indicates a wearable reconfigurable structure. Bright future.
In the news and opinion article accompanying the paper, Larente Augis, a researcher at the University of Grenoble-Alpes in France, wrote that this material is expected to be used to make “exoskeletons for biomedical, sports, or military applications.” , Or build temporary shelters, etc.
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