Description du projet
Des métamatériaux avec un comportement neuroactif
Les métamatériaux sont fabriqués artificiellement et dotés de propriétés supérieures à celles des matériaux naturels. Malgré leur large applicabilité dans les systèmes de communication, de détection et de robotique, les métamatériaux sont basés sur des ressources fossiles et présentent une empreinte carbone élevée. Le projet NEUROMETA, financé par l’UE, s’intéresse au développement de métamatériaux présentant comportement neuroactif. Les chercheurs exploiteront les propriétés inhérentes des fibres végétales naturelles et des fils de soie d’araignée pour concevoir et générer de nouvelles architectures de métamatériaux. Ces travaux déboucheront sur des métamatériaux manifestant des comportements adaptatifs et imitant les réseaux neuronaux artificiels, tout en ménageant l’environnement lors de leur fabrication.
Objectif
Metamaterials with anomalous and counter-intuitive multiphysics behaviours have been developed during the last two decades to help communication systems, sensing and robotics. Paradigmatic developments in artificial intelligence, Digital Twin approaches and additive manufacturing are pushing the design and production of metamaterials also towards the development artificial equivalent of synapsis and programmability. These advanced metamaterial concepts are however fossil-based and tend to make use of materials with a high carbon footprint and heavy life cycle costs in terms of emissions and environmental sustainability. Sensing/actuation mechanisms are also innate in natural plant fibres, spider silk strands and enzymatic systems, and involve saturation, hygromorphism, piezoelectricity and controlled hysteresis that could provide similar synaptic behaviours. Programmable memory properties could also be mechanically created in solid matter, and similar mnemonic-type architectures abound in natural fibres and related composites. While neurogenesis in electromagnetic metamaterials is at early stages of development, no neuroactive mechanical metamaterial concept and design based on biobased materials has been developed so far. The project aims at developing this paradigmatic new class of metamaterials. We will explore the use of natural fibre composites, bio-based matrices, spider silk strands, 3D printing of bioblock materials and natural piezoelectricity in wood/cellulose combined with metamaterial architectures to develop artificial bio-based and sustainable surrogates of programmable memory with learning/adaptive behaviours similar to artificial neural networks. These metamaterials will autonomously learn from their past loading history and generate resilience in the structures in which they are embedded. The natural materials will also have low carbon footprint and could be further developed by worldwide R&D communities based on the resources locally available.
Champ scientifique
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energy
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcomposites
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringrobotics
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringadditive manufacturing
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpiezoelectrics
Programme(s)
Thème(s)
Régime de financement
ERC-ADG - Advanced GrantInstitution d’accueil
BS8 1QU Bristol
Royaume-Uni