Origami Tribo-Metamaterials with Mechanoelectrical Multistability

AI-Driven TENGs for Self-Powered Smart Sensors and Intelligent Devices

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are emerging as transformative technologies for sustainable energy harvesting and precision sensing, offering eco-friendly power generation from mechanical motion. They harness mechanical energy while enabling self-sustaining sensing for self-powered devices. However, challenges such as material optimization, fabrication techniques, design strategies, and output stability must be addressed to fully realize their practical potential. Artificial intelligence (AI), with its capabilities in advanced data analysis, pattern recognition, and adaptive responses, is revolutionizing fields like healthcare, industrial automation, and smart infrastructure. When integrated with TENGs, AI can overcome current limitations by enhancing output, stability, and adaptability. This review explores the synergistic potential of AI-driven TENG systems, from optimizing materials and fabrication to embedding machine learning and deep learning algorithms for intelligent real-time sensing. These advancements enable improved energy harvesting, predictive maintenance, and dynamic performance optimization, making TENGs more practical across industries. The review also identifies key challenges and future research directions, including the development of low-power AI algorithms, sustainable materials, hybrid energy systems, and robust security protocols for AI-enhanced TENG solutions.

YOLOX-DG robotic detection systems for large-scale underwater concrete structures

Large-scale complex underwater concrete structures have structural damage and the traditional damage detection method mostly uses manual identification, which is inaccurate and inefficient. Therefore, robotic detection systems have been proposed to replace manual identification for underwater concrete structures in ocean engineering. However, the highly corrosive and disruptive environment of the ocean poses great difficulties for the application. Here, we develop a manta ray-inspired underwater robot with well controllability to establish the damage datasets of underwater concrete structures, proposing the YOLOX-DG algorithm to improve the damage detection accuracy, and integrating the model into the robotic detection systems for underwater concrete damages. Eventually, the system is used for ocean testing in real applications (i.e., underwater marine harbors around the East China Sea), and satisfactory detection performance is obtained. The reported manta ray-inspired robotic detection system can be used to accurately monitor and analyze the underwater regions.

Ultra-Stretchable Kirigami Piezo-Metamaterials for Sensing Coupled Large Deformations

Mechanical metamaterials are known for their prominent mechanical characteristics such as programmable deformation that are due to periodic microstructures. Recent research trends have shifted to utilizing mechanical metamaterials as structural substrates to integrate with functional materials for advanced functionalities beyond mechanical, such as active sensing. This study reports on the ultra-stretchable kirigami piezo-metamaterials (KPM) for sensing coupled large deformations caused by in- and out-of-plane displacements using the lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and barium titanate (BaTiO3 ) composite films. The KPM are fabricated by uniformly compounding and polarizing piezoelectric particles (i.e., PZT and BaTiO3 ) in silicon rubber and structured by cutting the piezoelectric rubbery films into ligaments. Characterizes the electrical properties of the KPM and investigates the bistable mechanical response under the coupled large deformations with the stretching ratio up to 200% strains. Finally, the PZT KPM sensors are integrated into wireless sensing systems for the detection of vehicle tire bulge, and the non-toxic BaTiO3 KPM are applied for human posture monitoring. The reported kirigami piezo-metamaterials open an exciting venue for the control and manipulation of mechanically functional metamaterials for active sensing under complex deformation scenarios in many applications.

Mechanical metamaterials and beyond

Mechanical metamaterials enable the creation of structural materials with unprecedented mechanical properties. However, thus far, research on mechanical metamaterials has focused on passive mechanical metamaterials and the tunability of their mechanical properties. Deep integration of multifunctionality, sensing, electrical actuation, information processing, and advancing data-driven designs are grand challenges in the mechanical metamaterials community that could lead to truly intelligent mechanical metamaterials. In this perspective, we provide an overview of mechanical metamaterials within and beyond their classical mechanical functionalities. We discuss various aspects of data-driven approaches for inverse design and optimization of multifunctional mechanical metamaterials. Our aim is to provide new roadmaps for design and discovery of next-generation active and responsive mechanical metamaterials that can interact with the surrounding environment and adapt to various conditions while inheriting all outstanding mechanical features of classical mechanical metamaterials. Next, we deliberate the emerging mechanical metamaterials with specific functionalities to design informative and scientific intelligent devices. We highlight open challenges ahead of mechanical metamaterial systems at the component and integration levels and their transition into the domain of application beyond their mechanical capabilities.

Skin-Contact Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Energy Harvesting and Motion Sensing: Principles, Challenges, and Perspectives

Energy harvesting has become an increasingly important field of research as the demand for portable and wearable devices continues to grow. Skin-contact triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology has emerged as a promising solution for energy harvesting and motion sensing. This review paper provides a detailed overview of skin-contact TENG technology, covering its principles, challenges, and perspectives. The introduction begins by defining skin-contact TENG and explaining the importance of energy harvesting and motion sensing. The principles of skin-contact TENG are explored, including the triboelectric effect and the materials used for energy harvesting. The working mechanism of skin-contact TENG is also discussed. This study then moves onto the applications of skin-contact TENG, focusing on energy harvesting for wearable devices and motion sensing for healthcare monitoring. Furthermore, the integration of skin-contact TENG technology with other technologies is discussed to highlight its versatility. The challenges in skin-contact TENG technology are then highlighted, which include sensitivity to environmental factors, such as humidity and temperature, biocompatibility and safety concerns, and durability and reliability issues. This section of the paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of the technological limitations that must be considered when designing skin-contact TENGs. In the Perspectives and Future Directions section, this review paper highlights various advancements in materials and design, as well as the potential for commercialization. Additionally, the potential impact of skin-contact TENG technology on the energy and healthcare industries is discussed.