Oscillating membranes: autonomous shape-transforming sheets via chemo-mechanical “metabolism”

Living organisms have mastered the dynamic control of residual stresses within sheets to induce shape transformation and locomotion. For instance, the spatiotemporal pattern of action-potential in a heart induces a dynamical stress field that leads to shape changes and biological function. Such out-of-equilibrium structures inspired the emerging field of soft robotics. However, state-of-the-art attempts to replicate this ability in synthetic materials are still lacking.