Metamaterials are emerging as an unconventional platform to perform computing abstractions in physical systems by processing environmental stimuli into information. While computation functions have been demonstrated in mechanical systems, they rely on compliant mechanisms to achieve predefined states, which impose inherent design restrictions that limit their miniaturization, deployment, reconfigurability, and functionality. Here, a metamaterial system is described based on responsive magnetoactive Janus particle (MAJP) swarms with multiple programmable functions. MAJPs are designed with tunable structure and properties in mind, that is, encoded swarming behavior and fully reversible switching mechanisms, to enable programmable dynamic display, non-volatile and semi-volatile memory, Boolean logic, and information encryption functions in soft, wearable devices. MAJPs and their unique swarming behavior open new functions for the design of multifunctional and reconfigurable display devices, and constitute a promising building block to develop the next generation of soft physical computing devices, with growing applications in security, defense, anti-counterfeiting, camouflage, soft robotics, and human-robot interaction.

中文翻译：

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用于信息显示、内存和加密的 Janus Swarm 超材料


超材料正在成为一种非常规平台，通过将环境刺激处理成信息，在物理系统中执行计算抽象。虽然计算功能已在机械系统中得到证明，但它们依赖于合规机制来实现预定义状态，这施加了固有的设计限制，限制了它们的小型化、部署、可重新配置性和功能性。本文描述了一种基于响应式磁活性 Janus 粒子 （MAJP） 群的超材料系统，具有多种可编程功能。MAJP 在设计时考虑了可调结构和特性，即编码的蜂群行为和完全可逆的开关机制，以便在软可穿戴设备中实现可编程动态显示、非易失性和半易失性存储器、布尔逻辑和信息加密功能。MAJP 及其独特的集群行为为多功能和可重构显示设备的设计开辟了新的功能，并构成了开发下一代软物理计算设备的有前途的构建块，在安全、防御、防伪、伪装、软机器人和人机交互方面的应用越来越多。