Fig. 4: Potential applications of the non-reciprocal and non-Newtonian mechanical metamaterials for satellite docking.
From: Non-reciprocal and non-Newtonian mechanical metamaterials
a In a normal situation, the relative velocity between two satellites is quite small (e.g., 0.3 m/s) and the influence of the metamaterials on docking can be ignored as they are soft. b Under an emergency circumstance where the relative velocity between the two satellites is larger than the critical value, the metamaterials become stiff and are able to absorb the excess kinetic energy to avoid shock and damage to both satellites.
