One example of geometric frustration is how a pentagon cannot neatly tile the plane without gaps. Researchers at the University of Michigan are showing how this frustration gives rise to complexity in ...

Researchers have drawn inspiration from the art of origami to create programmable surfaces that allow engineers to alter physical properties of a uniform substance across a range of directions.

Springs, squeegees and soda straws function with a common property — they are rigid in one direction and flexible in another. Structures like these, with properties that vary across dimensions, have ...