Tension-controlled switch between collective actuations in active solids

The recent finding of collective actuation in active solids, namely solids embedded with active units, opens the path towards multifunctional materials with genuine autonomy. In such systems, collective dynamics emerge spontaneously and little is known about the way to control or drive them. Here, w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Baconnier, Paul, Shohat, Dor, Dauchot, Olivier
Format Paper Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 19.08.2022
Subjects
Actuation
Multifunctional materials
Physics - Soft Condensed Matter
Selectivity
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Summary:The recent finding of collective actuation in active solids, namely solids embedded with active units, opens the path towards multifunctional materials with genuine autonomy. In such systems, collective dynamics emerge spontaneously and little is known about the way to control or drive them. Here, we combine the experimental study of centimetric model active solids, the numerical study of an agent based model and theoretical arguments to reveal how mechanical tension can serve as a general mechanism for switching between different collective actuation regimes in active solids. We further show the existence of a hysteresis when varying back and forth mechanical tension, highlighting the non-trivial selectivity of collective actuations.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.2208.09258