If it walks like a particle, and talks like a particle... it may still not be a particle. A topological soliton is a special type of wave or dislocation which behaves like a particle: it can move around but cannot spread out and disappear like you would expect from, say, a ripple on the surface of a pond.
Researchers now demonstrate the atypical behavior of topological solitons in a robotic metamaterial, something which in the future may be used to control how robots move, sense their surroundings and communicate.
The unique features of topological solitons -- that they can move around but always retain their shape and cannot suddenly disappear -- are particularly interesting when combined with so-called non-reciprocal interactions."In such an interaction, an agent A reacts to an agent B differently to the way agent B reacts to agent A," explains Jonas Veenstra, a PhD student at the University of Amsterdam and first author of the new publication.
Solitons in this metamaterial are the locations where left- and right-rotated sections of the chain meet. The complementary boundaries between right- and left-rotated chain sections are then so-called 'anti-solitons'. This is analogous to kinks in an old-fashioned coiled telephone cord, where clockwise and anticlockwise-rotating sections of the cord meet.
The movement of the solitons is similar to a chain of dominoes falling, each one toppling its neighbour. However, unlike dominoes, the non-reciprocal interactions ensure that the 'toppling' can only happen in one direction. And while dominoes can only fall down once, a soliton moving along the metamaterial simply sets up the chain for an anti-soliton to move through it in the same direction.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Robotic Hip 'Exoskeleton' Helps With Stroke RehabA new robotic hip exoskeleton could help stroke patients improve their walking stride, a new study shows.
Lire la suite »
Check Your Health- Robotic Surgery to Treat Common Heart DisorderHeart doctors at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray are the first in Utah to perform a treatment for patients suffering from a common heart condition using
Lire la suite »
Robotic-assisted surgery for gallbladder cancer as effective as traditional surgeryEach year, approximately 2,000 people die annually of gallbladder cancer (GBC) in the U.S., with only one in five cases diagnosed at an early stage. With GBC rated as the first biliary tract cancer and the 17th most deadly cancer worldwide, pressing attention for proper management of disease must be addressed.
Lire la suite »
New AI model could streamline operations in a robotic warehouseResearchers applied deep-learning approaches from vehicle routing to streamline planning trajectories for robots in an e-commerce warehouse. Their method breaks the problem down into smaller chunks and then predicts the best chunks to solve with traditional algorithms.
Lire la suite »
LAPD reports 2 more uses of its robotic dogSWAT officers reported using the dog during one standoff in an apartment building; again with an armed man on a bus
Lire la suite »
Creating Biohybrid Robotic Jellyfish for Ocean ExplorationCaltech researcher Jahn Dabiri is modifying jellyfish to create biohybrid robotic jellyfish for autonomous ocean exploration. These cyborg jellies have enhanced swimming capabilities and are equipped with electronics to collect data about temperatures, oxygen levels, and salinity.
Lire la suite »