A new discovery in physics could help engineers stabilize robots and structures without relying on complex sensors and control systems, and design metamaterials and network systems that are presently beyond reach.
The finding, published in Nature Communications by researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Stony Brook University, shows that a mechanical system can be kept stable simply by switching between two behaviors at the right rhythm, even when neither behavior is stable on its own. No sensors watching the motion. No software constantly correcting it.
Once the timing is set, the physics does the rest.
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