Programmable materials

Abstract

Programmable material is a collection of substantially cubic shaped bricks called monomers that move relative to each other under computer control to sculpt engineering structures ( 5 ) and mechanisms ( 6 ) (walking machine) illustrated in the figure. The monomers have features to lock to other monomers and slide relative to other monomers without separating. The monomers are fault tolerant against damage; functional monomers move faulty monomers and replace them with functioning clones. Movement of monomers is broken down systematically into streamers, gateways, highways and reservoir methods to obtain individual monomer movement paths required to synthesise a structure. Specialised monomers can carry tools which together with synthesis of custom structures create custom machines.

1 . A machine of substantially parallelepiped shape, having means for so interacting with identical machines as to cause relative transport of them and the machine, and means for interacting with identical machines so as to secure the machine in position relative to them.  
     
     
         2 . A machine according to  claim 1  which is responsive to external signals communicated to it so as to effect the transporting and securing.  
     
     
         3 . A machine according to  claim 1  or  claim 2  incorporating a computer and which is responsive to signals generated by that computer so as to effect the transport and securing.  
     
     
         4 . A machine according to any one of  claims 1  to  3  wherein the securing means or transporting means or both comprise electromagnets.  
     
     
         5 . A machine according to any one of  claims 1  to  3  wherein the transporting means or securing means or both comprise mechanical parts or features on the machine that interlock with complementary parts or features on identical machines.  
     
     
         6 . A machine according to  claim 5  wherein the transporting means comprises mechanical parts or features on the machine that can be caused to interlock with complementary parts or features on an identical machine in such a manner as to allow relative motion of the machines along particular axes.  
     
     
         7 . A machine according to  claim 6  wherein the parts or features are arranged to provide two or more independently engageable interlocks between machine and an identical machine, each of which allows relative motion of the two machines only along a respective one of two or different axes.  
     
     
         8 . A machine according to any of  claims 5  to  7  wherein the interlocking parts or features comprise a member extensible from the machine into a recess or groove in an identical machine and wherein the member incorporates extensible wedges for locking the member in the recess or groove.  
     
     
         9 . A machine according to any one of  claims 5  to  7  wherein the interlocking parts or features comprise pairs of members, the members of a pair being extensible from a face of the machine, in different directions at an angle to the normal to that face, into respective ones of a pair of recesses or grooves in a face of an identical machine.  
     
     
         10 . A machine according to any one of  claims 5  to  7  wherein the interlocking parts or features comprise pairs of members, each member of a pair being mounted to pivot between a withdrawn position and an extended position.  
     
     
         11 . A machine according to  claim 10  wherein the members of a pair receive at their extended positions, in respective grooves in the members, respective ones of a pair of opposing lips of an identical machine.  
     
     
         12 . A machine according to any of  claims 5  to  11  comprising a plurality of studs on a face of the machine engageable with a neighbouring identical machine so as to locate it in position, the studs being retractable so as to release the neighbouring machine.  
     
     
         13 . A machine according to  claim 12  wherein the studs are engageable with the interlocking mechanical parts or features of the neighbouring machine.  
     
     
         14 . A machine according to  claim 13  wherein the studs are depressible by an identical machine that is advancing to become such a neighbouring machine.  
     
     
         15 . A machine according to any preceding claim of substantially cuboid shape.  
     
     
         16 . A machine according to  claim 15  of substantially cubic shape.  
     
     
         17 . A machine according to  claim 15  having four means on each face of the machine for communicating power or data with neighbouring identical machines, those means being located in the same positions on each face and being so located either on each of the diagonal centre lines or on each of the orthogonal centre lines of each face as to preserve the four-fold rotational symmetry of the face.  
     
     
         18 . A machine according to  claim 15  or  claim 16  having four pairs of an input means and an output means for communicating data with neighbouring identical machines those means being located in the same positions on each face and the input means and output means of each pair being so located symmetrically to either side of each of either the diagonal centre lines or the orthogonal centre lines of the face so as to preserve the four-fold rotational symmetry of the face.  
     
     
         19 . A machine equivalent in size to a parallelepiped block of a plurality of machines according to any one of  claims 1  to  18 , that is not composed of such machines and that has means for so interacting with such machines as to cause relative transport and securing that would occur if the machine consisted of a parallelepiped block of machines.  
     
     
         20 . A structure or a machine assembled from machines according to any one of  claims 1  to  18  or from a mixture of such machines and compatible machines according to claims  19 .  
     
     
         21 . A method of moving by said means a first machine aligned with a first site, to a second site which is aligned with and neighbouring the first site, in a direction parallel to the neighbouring sites, wherein each site is a machine and wherein each of the machines is a machine according to  claims 1  to  19 .  
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 21  wherein the first and second sites co-operate to move the first machine.  
     
     
         23 . A method of movement according to claims  21  and  22  which relies for stopping movement substantially on method in  claim 14 .  
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 21 , or  claim 22 , or  claim 23 , wherein the first machine has neighbours that are secured to it and that move with it.  
     
     
         25 . A method of moving a machine along a row of machines comprising repeatedly applying a method according to any one of  claims 21  to  24 .  
     
     
         26 . A method according to claims  21 ,  22 ,  24  and  25  wherein the motion of the machine along the row is continuous.  
     
     
         27 . A method of extending by one unit, a streamer of units in a row ending in a tip unit, the units either being single machines according to any one of  claims 1  to  18 , or being parallelepiped blocks of such machines or machines according to  claim 19  or a mixture of the two, the method comprising moving a pair of units along the streamer until one of the pair is a neighbour of the tip unit and the other extends beyond the tip unit, and moving the other unit of the pair from being a neighbour of the one unit to being the neighbour of the tip unit, in which position it becomes the new tip unit, the movement of the machines being according to  claim 21  and  22 .  
     
     
         28 . A method of extending by one unit a streamer of units in a row beginning in a base unit, the units either being single machines according to any one of  claims 1  to  18 , or being parallelepiped blocks of such machines or machines according to  claim 19  or a mixture of the two, the base unit having one or more neighbouring machines that are not in the row, the method comprising adding an extra unit to the row before the base unit and advancing the row relative to the one or more machines neighbouring the base unit a distance of one unit in the direction that results the extra unit moving to the original site of the base unit.  
     
     
         29 . A method of retracting a streamer comprising reversing the steps of either a method according to  claim 27  or of a method according to  claim 28 .  
     
     
         30 . A method of delivering machines according to any one of  claims 1  to  18 , or to  claim 19  or a mixture of the two, from a first point to a second point, comprising constructing from such machines a structure connecting the two points and moving the machines along the structure from the first point to the second point.  
     
     
         31 . A method of constructing a structure comprising machines according to any one of  claims 1  to  18 , or to  claim 19 , or a mixture of the two, the method comprising extending a streamer according to  claim 27  or  28 .  
     
     
         32 . A machine substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, FIGS.  4  to  13 , or FIG. 17, or FIGS. 19 and 20, or FIG. 23.  
     
     
         33 . A machine substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, FIGS.  4  to  13 , or FIG. 17, or FIGS. 19 and 20, modified as described with reference to, and as shown in FIG. 16.  
     
     
         34 . A method of moving machines relative to each other substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, any one of FIGS.  26  to  30 .  
     
     
         35 . A method of securing machines substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, FIG. 14 b  or FIG. 14 c.    
     
     
         36 . A method of moving machines substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, any one of FIGS. 15 d  to  g.