image: These are multiple stable noninteracting (left) and interacting (right) dimples on an elastic cylindrical shell. view more
Credit: PNAS
Using a combination of experiments, theory, and simulations, researchers demonstrate how to encode information bits on a long cylindrical elastic shell in the form of a sequence of stable dimples, similar to Braille, and which can be written anywhere along the cylinder using a mechanical stylus and erased; such a system could serve as the basis for small-scale mechanical memories, according to the authors.
Article #17-22342: "Reprogrammable Braille on an elastic shell," by Jun Young Chung, Ashkan Vaziri, and L. Mahadevan.
MEDIA CONTACT: L. Mahadevan, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; tel: 617-496-9599; e-mail: <lmahadev@g.harvard.edu>
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences