Table 4 A summary of reported mechanical metamaterial devices for applications related to information processing, along with their key advantages
 | Category | Characteristics | Potential applications | Advantages | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Logic gates | Resonant clock network | Wave-based | Designed with an infinite-wavelength zeroth-order resonance mode and utilizes the ultralow Joule loss of superconductors at microwave frequencies | Scaling the power distribution network in superconductor digital circuits to CMOS levels of integration | Metamaterial resonant clock network for energy-efficient power delivery to large superconducting digital systems | |
Terahertz (THz) metamaterials | Programmable THz metamaterials with cut-wire resonator (CWR) sandwiched two face-to-face split-ring resonators. | Stable polarization switch | Coding digits can be switched by changing the vertical distance of the CWR | |||
Terahertz (THz) metamaterials | MEMS-based metadevices based on switchable winding-shaped cantilever metamaterial for active logical modulation | Enlarging the operating frequency range, which provides various possibilities in multifunctional switching, active logical modulating, and optical computing applications | Better optical switching performance, realizing a high-efficient optical switch and programmable devices | |||
Boolean mechanical logic | Mechanical-based | Performing Boolean logic operation based on the buckling response of 3D unit cells | Complementing the semiconductor electronics for operation in harsh environments (e.g., high radiation fields in nuclear reactors and hot cell laboratories) | Mechanical logic devices to perform various functions (e.g., Boolean logic, sensing or actuating) | ||
Surface plasmon polaritons | Mechanical-based | Coding and programmable designer plasmon polaritons by an ultrathin corrugated metallic strip loaded with active devices and a digital system | Switching polaritons in real time using a single prototype and the digital control system | Digital-analog functions of logical gates based on 1-bit coding, digital phase shifters based on 2-bit coding, and slow waves based on 4-bit coding | ||
Computing | Mathematical operations | Wave-based | Metamaterial blocks to perform mathematical operations by propagating an impinging wave through these blocks | Direct, ultrafast, wave-based analog computation, equation solving, and signal processing at the hardware level | Wave-based computing systems significantly thinner than conventional lens-based optical signal and data processors | |
Image processing | Computational imaging | Low-profile aperture for microwave imaging without lenses, moving parts or phase shifters | Combing computational imaging approach with custom aperture hardware to perform compression in the physical layer | Extending the microwave and millimeter-wave imaging capabilities by the small form factor and lack of moving parts | ||
Data processing | Data memory | Electromagnetic-based | Tileable mechanical metamaterial with stable memory at the unit-cell level by arraying physical binary elements (m-bits) with clearly delineated writing and reading phases | Stable memory and on-demand programmability of mechanical properties | Distinctly different mechanical response that is fully elastic and can be reversibly cycled |