Engineers build chemically driven wheels that ‘morph’ into gears to perform mechanical work – Phys.org

The gear is one of the oldest mechanical tools in human history and led to machines ranging from early irrigation systems and clocks, to modern engines and robotics. For the first time, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering have utilized a catalytic reaction that causes a two-dimensional, chemically-coated sheet to spontaneously “morph” into a three-dimensional gear that performs sustained work.
The findings indicate the potential to develop chemically driven…

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