Signal propagation in reversible digital mechanics
Digital mechanics explores information processing through binary, mechanical circuits. This work demonstrates a flexural, mechanical integrated circuit (m-IC) that achieves reversible, non-reciprocal signal propagation through integrated AND logic and memory. Our approach exploits sequential bistable transitions with symmetric energy wells, tunable stiffness, impedance matching, and AND gate non-linearity, to enable signal propagation, repeatability, and reversibility. We present a generalized model of logic kinematics and energetics, validated experimentally, to study energy flows, quantify energetic limits, and identify operating regimes for reversible logic. Macro-scale experiments confirm propagation dynamics, and new fabrication methods extend the architecture to micro-scale devices. By achieving controlled, reversible signal transmission across interconnected logic and memory, this work establishes a scalable platform for robust mechanical computing and adaptive sensing.
Authors
- Hilary A. Johnson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3157-8097)
- Robert M. Panas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7562-0146)
- Jonathan Brigham Hopkins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4752-746X)
- John Cortes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4278-7692)
- Mohammad Mehdi Ahmadi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2563-4053)
- Amin Farzaneh
- Julie Mancini
- Andrew J. Pascall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7933-8690)
- Logan Bekker
- Frederick Sun
Institutions
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Materials Horizons
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1039/d5mh00509d
- Primary Topic
- Mechanical and Optical Resonators
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory