Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles are a transportation technology with potentially transformative potential for how passengers and goods are ferried in urban environments. A critical barrier to adoption of this technology is ensuring the safety of UAM passengers. This proposed effort seeks to utilize Origami-Inspired Mechanical Metamaterials (O-IMMs) to provide energy absorption, dissipation, and redirection capabilities for hard-landing and impact scenarios involving UAM vehicles. Our advanced materials approach to providing passenger safety focuses on enhancing the mechanical properties of conventional materials without chemical or molecular alterations. Instead, we embed repeating geometric patterns into a base material that augments and supersedes the base material’s original characteristics, leading to materials that are stronger, lighter, more failure-resistant, and multi-functional. This SBIR Phase I R/R&D study utilizes the (base material) + (geometric pattern) = (mechanical metamaterial) approach our team has pioneered over the last 8 years. Our effort will be focused on (1) translating NASA-defined goals into design criteria, and (2) using AI-enhanced software to develop the metamaterial’s geometric pattern. With regard to the first point, our approach directly considers NASA needs; in addition to safety, the design criteria also consider impacts on operational noise, UAM vehicle speed, mobility, payload, efficiency, and environmental costs. With regard to the second point, Multiscale Systems has several key advantages and IP assets – ranging from 15 years of combined experience, to proprietary design software – that increase the likelihood of our success. Our target deliverable for this SBIR Phase I effort is a set of schematics and simulation-based characterization data for an O-IMM-based material that protects UAM vehicles in a range of potential crash scenarios. This deliverable naturally transitions to SBIR Phase II effort focusing on prototype R/R&D.
We anticipate the greatest opportunities for O-IMMs in future NASA applications will arise from the ability to decrease weight while retaining mechanical function:
-Crash-landing protection for UAV/drones/rover vehicles (ultra-lightweight protection from impact forces)
-Physical protection during planetary exploration (Moon to Mars Campaign)
-Deployable materials for protected habitable spaces on manned missions (Moon to Mars Campaign)
-Lander systems technologies that absorb/dissipate/redirect energy
Our market research has indicated a variety of applications in the public/private sector:
-Advanced materials for defense (USAF/Lockheed Martin/Boeing dual-use)
-Body armor for US Soldier protection (US Army dual-use)
-Protection of vertical lift devices in the commercial UAVs / drone market
-Expandable shelters/buildings
-Exterior protection and tactile sensing for soft robots