US 12,255,555 B2
Self-aware composite mechanical metamaterials and method for making same
Amir Alavi, Pittsburgh, PA (US); and Kaveh Barri, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Assigned to University of Pittsburgh-Of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Filed by UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH-OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Filed on Mar. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/695,305.
Application 17/695,305 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/369,640, filed on Jul. 7, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/048,943, filed on Jul. 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0209686 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01L 1/00 (2006.01); H01B 5/00 (2006.01); H02N 1/04 (2006.01)
CPC H02N 1/04 (2013.01) [H01B 5/00 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A medical implant comprising a self-aware composite mechanical metamaterial, comprising:
first and second electrically conductive components disposed relative to each other to act as opposite electrodes to induce contact electrification;
wherein the first and second electrically conductive components, along with a dielectric component serving as a skeleton of the self-aware composite mechanical metamaterial, form a lattice of snapping curved semicircular-shaped segments, wherein each of the snapping curved semicircular-shaped segments has an elastic snap-through instability mechanism; and
wherein the lattice comprises periodic repeatable parallel rows of the snapping curved semicircular-shaped segments.