Application of mechanical metamaterials in a parametric, 3D printed ankle foot orthosis

During this project the possibilities of enriching the functionality of an Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) by implementing mechanical metamaterials are researched. The project is executed for Buchrnhornen, a company based in Eindhoven which has over 70 years of experience in manufacturing orthopaedic shoes and orthosis in a traditional way. Mechanical...

Mechanical Metamaterials by Topology Optimization

Auxetic materials exhibit material properties, which are usually not seen in nature. This type of materials belong to the class of mechanical metamaterials and can be used for e.g. energy absorption, cloaking of objects, shape morphing applications and the design of fiber-reinforced composites. They exhibit a negative Poisson’s value and derive...

Design of a Super-Compressible Metamaterial: An Experimental Investigation Guided by Machine Learning

Mechanical metamaterials are a new emerging class of materials which achieve properties outside the bounds of conventional materials. A metamaterial consists of a unit cell which is periodically repeated in space. In this study, a new metamaterial unit cell is proposed, derived from a class of space structures known as deployable masts. What...