Fig. 2: From measurement of brackets’ mechanical properties to inverse design of temporal morphing.

a Load-controlled tensile tests were used to determine the deformation rates of unit cells in 56\({}^{\circ }\) C water. b Average deformation rates for specimens subject to constant loads of 4 N for l\(\, < \,7\) and 5 N for l\(\, \ge\) 7 N. These values are close to the inner membrane tractions on each unit cell in real shells. c Deformation rate measurements (solid lines) are fit (dashed lines) to produce a model of bracket softening. Here we show the fit for l = 6 mm, h = 0.4 mm. d The model is interpolated and queried to infer the mesostructure that yields target curvatures and deformation completion times in each section of the shell. Here, we show deformations of unit cells with central length l = 6 mm and a range of bracket thicknesses from 0.3 mm to 0.65 mm. e Smooth actuation time landscape that induces the sequential deformation process demonstrated in Fig. 1. f Bracket thickness fields for both sides of the petalled shape. Though the prescribed time landscape is smooth, the field of bracket thickness is highly irregular because bracket thicknesses also depend on initial unit cell lengths and their target deformations.