Shape-morphing devices, with their capacity to undergo structural transformations, are on the verge of revolutionizing multiple domains, from human–machine interfaces to biomedical and aerospace applications. This Perspective classifies shape-morphing devices into two categories: pattern-to-pattern shape-morphing devices that deform from a starting shape to a predefined set of one or more deformed shapes, and programmable shape-morphing devices that can morph into different shapes on demand. We highlight the need for standardized assessment approaches to compare the performance of different shape-morphing devices and introduce an array of proposed metrics that are tailored to assess the functionality of these devices at the material, device and system levels. Notably, we propose a mathematical metric to quantify the complexity of a surface and a set of standard surfaces for evaluating programmable shape-morphing devices, providing objective benchmarks for this expanding field.

变形设备具有进行结构转变的能力，正处于变革多个领域的边缘，从人机界面到生物医学和航空航天应用。该观点将形状变形设备分为两类：从起始形状变形为一组预定义的一个或多个变形形状的图案到图案形状变形设备，以及可以在上变形为不同形状的可编程形状变形设备。要求。我们强调需要标准化的评估方法来比较不同形状变形设备的性能，并引入一系列建议的指标，这些指标是为评估这些设备在材料、设备和系统层面的功能而量身定制的。值得注意的是，我们提出了一种数学度量来量化表面的复杂性，并提出了一组用于评估可编程形状变形设备的标准表面，为这个不断扩展的领域提供了客观的基准。