Researchers Are Developing Smart Building Blocks for Shape-Changing Devices

The Fascination of Technology Researchers Are Developing Smart Building Blocks for Shape-Changing Devices

2026-09-14 Source: MIT | Translated by AI 3 min Reading Time

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In our “Fascination with Technology” section, we showcase impressive research and development projects for design engineers every week. Today: smart metamaterials that enable the construction of shape-changing structures with integrated sensors.

A sample of the variety of configurations that Bifur circuits can form.(Source: Courtesy of the researchers) — A sample of the variety of configurations that Bifur circuits can form.
(Source: Courtesy of the researchers)

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new system made up of modular components called “Bifur-Circuits.” These 3D-printed, interactive building blocks, made of mechanical metamaterials, can be assembled into transformable structures. The key feature is this: No matter how much the assembly is twisted, pressed, or deformed, the electrical connections inside remain intact at all times.

Gallery

The top row contains two types of connector blocks that connect the units to each other. They are lined with conductive material on the inside in such a way that connecting the components establishes a unique electrical circuit between adjacent units.(Source: Courtesy of the researchers)

The reconfigurable Bifur circuit modules can be compressed, expanded, rotated, or bent, offering a wide range of possibilities for the development of interactive devices.(Source: Courtesy of the researchers)

This allows these components to independently detect their current geometric configuration without the need for external wiring. To achieve the greatest possible variety of shapes, the researchers are utilizing the principle of mechanical bifurcation. This is the physical tipping point that occurs, for example, when a bent plastic ruler suddenly buckles (bends or kinks) upon exceeding a certain force. By connecting and twisting the blocks, new, stable states and unique electrical circuits are created, through which the units communicate with one another.

Design and Simulation Tool Simplifies Development

Of interest to developers: The MIT team has developed a custom design and simulation tool that simplifies the design process and directly generates instructions for a multi-material 3D printer. The components are manufactured in a single pass, complete with an integrated, flexible conductive material. In addition, they demonstrated high fatigue strength in tests: even after more than 10,000 deformation cycles, electrical conductivity showed no deterioration whatsoever.

The Technology Behind Bifur Circuits

How do shape-shifting devices work in detail, and what challenges had to be overcome during their development?

Auxetic kinematics:
Bifur circuits are based on so-called auxetic metamaterials. Unlike conventional materials, these have a negative transverse contraction coefficient—which means they become wider when stretched, rather than contracting. MIT had previously used this principle for reconfigurable antennas, but these were limited to only three fixed states.
Exponential Diversity Through Bifurcation:
To achieve more states, the researchers incorporated the principle of mechanical bifurcation (branching). In mechanics, this describes a sudden change in a system’s behavior when an external force exceeds a critical threshold (comparable to the sudden buckling or bulging of a bent ruler). In the Bifur-Circuits, this bifurcation occurs when connected blocks are rotated around a defined pivot point. Adding just a single additional unit to a structure exponentially multiplies the number of potential and mechanically stable configurations.
The Material Challenge:
The biggest hurdle for the developers was the conflict of objectives in the choice of material. The conductive material had to be extremely flexible to accommodate the complex deformations and joint movements, but at the same time it had to offer sufficiently high electrical conductivity to transmit the sensor signals between the blocks without errors. The conductive material largely dictated how the sensors could be geometrically arranged between the blocks.
A Vision for the Future of Actuators:
The system was developed by researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) in collaboration with the Universities of Tokyo and Michigan. The next step on the developers’ roadmap: The metamaterials are not only intended to passively recognize their shape but also to be structurally stabilized so that they can be actively driven (actuated) in the future.

Great Potential for Industrial Applications as well

The potential for practical applications is vast. As prototypes, the researchers have already built shape-shifting furniture and adaptive controllers. In an industrial setting, potential applications range from shape-changing grippers for modular soft robotics to adaptive antennas that automatically adjust their geometry and frequency in response to changing environmental conditions.

If we think of mechanical metamaterials as building blocks, our work is a way to use their geometry to embed intrinsic intelligence directly into the hardware.

Lead author Marwa AlAlawi

EPFL researchers have unveiled ScaFi (short for “Scalable Fish”), a robot modeled after fish such as cod and mackerel. Its size can be adjusted as needed. (2026 CREATE Lab EPFL)

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