This new metamaterial responds to acoustic waves, letting researchers rotate and move objects with precision underwater.
Sound waves do far more than carry music or voices. In science and engineering, they help map the seafloor, monitor earthquakes, guide submarines, and even shatter kidney stones inside the human body. Their ability to travel through different media and exert force makes them a powerful, non-invasive tool.
Now, researchers are pushing this potential even further.Dajun Zhang, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has developed a new metamaterial that lets scientists manipulate objects underwater using only sound.No hands, no physical tools, just acoustic waves.His work could transform underwater robotics and even open the door to non-invasive surgical tools.A sawtooth structure that responds to soundThe secret lies in a meticulously engineered surface. Zhang designed a metamaterial featuring a small sawtooth pattern. This pattern alters how sound waves reflect when multiple speakers target it from different angles. The result: controlled motion.“By carefully targeting the floating or submerged metamaterial with precise sound waves,” Zhang said, “I can push and rotate any object attached to it exactly as much as I want.”The ability to steer objects remotely could simplify underwater operations and offer new precision tools in medicine.The metamaterial created by Zhang is used to push and rotate an object adorned with the University of Wisconsin’s Bucky the Badger. Credit – Dajun Zhang.From robotics to medicine: Remote movement gets a boostZhang believes the applications go far beyond the lab. His metamaterial could assist in assembling underwater structures, guiding robotic vehicles, or delivering medication to hard-to-reach areas in the body.“Our metamaterial offers a method to apply different acoustic radiation forces on objects in liquid media, such as underwater robots and vehicles, parts for assembly, or medical devices and drugs,” he said.Because it works without direct contact, the method can also minimize damage or contamination in delicate settings.Cracking the fabrication challengeBuilding this kind of metamaterial isn’t simple. Standard fabrication methods fall short on both precision and affordability.“Current fabrication methods for underwater metamaterials do not provide the resolution or material properties required and are usually very expensive,” Zhang said.To address this, Zhang developed a new approach. It combines high-resolution output with strong acoustic contrast relative to water, while keeping costs low.“This method is not only low cost and easy to implement but also achieves high fabrication resolution and large acoustic impedance contrast with water, which are keys to underwater metamaterials,” he said.Floating, submerged, and fully controlledZhang tested his material by attaching it to objects like wood, wax, and plastic foam. Whether floating or submerged, the material lets him use sound to move them in all directions, including rotation.He now plans to create a smaller, more flexible version. His goal is to expand into fields like remote surgery and autonomous underwater robotics.“Our research opens new opportunities for both underwater acoustic metamaterials and remote manipulation,” Zhang said. “Acoustic metamaterials and metasurfaces can now be used to generate forces remotely for underwater or in-body levitation, actuation, and manipulation applications.”Zhang presented this breakthrough during the joint 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and the 25th International Congress on Acoustics.
Metamaterial Remote Manipulation Sound Waves Underwater Robotics
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