This project is based on a single unit that exhibits bistability — meaning it can stably maintain two distinct states (like an ON/OFF switch) without continuous external energy. The unit consists of a hollow rectangular base connected to a sinusoidal arch. When the arch is "snapped" to its second stable state, the base curves significantly, enabling the unit's morphing capability.

By concatenating these bistable units, we created 1D arrays capable of complex shape-shifting, where the final configuration is determined by the specific combination of snapped units.

Here are two timelapses of the array for two different snapping sequences. The end result is a C shape.

We further demonstrated the array's programmability by designing structures capable of achieving complex, such as the 'M' and 'S' configurations:

The complete work, including numerical modeling and experimental validation, is published here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2024.112917