journal article·2025-06Open access

Omnidirectional Transmissive Acoustic Metasurfaces Based on Goldberg Polyhedra

Andrea Achilleos, James Hardwick, Ryuji Hirayama, Sriram Subramanian

Advanced Functional Materials· Volume 35· Issue 26

Abstract

Abstract Acoustic metasurfaces (AMs) are engineered structures that control acoustic wave propagation, enabling applications such as sound absorption, beam steering, and acoustic holography. Most AMs are planar and operate in a single direction, limiting the spatial extent of target acoustic fields. The simultaneous manipulation of waves in multiple directions remains largely unexplored, and omnidirectional AMs have yet to be realized. This study introduces a design and fabrication approach for omnidirectional AMs capable of generating custom acoustic fields anywhere in 3D space. Inspired by Goldberg polyhedra, a method is developed for tiling a sphere with custom phase‐shifting unit cells to form 3D metasurfaces. The design balances high sphericity, which ensures omnidirectionality, with high spatial resolution, which prevents spatial aliasing and enables diffraction‐limited fields. A fabrication strategy is also presented, covering design, optimization, and construction of an internal omnidirectional acoustic source. Numerical and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the unit cells and metasurfaces for positioning focal points in 3D space and forming complex acousto‐holographic patterns, such as letters. This work demonstrates for the first time the acoustic equivalent of spherical electromagnetic displays and opens new avenues for applications in noise management, multi‐user haptics, multi‐functional materials, and integrated acoustic devices.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Acoustic Wave Phenomena Research · Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications · Antenna Design and Analysis

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering University College London London WC1E 6BT UK

Funding

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council · Royal Academy of Engineering · UK Research and Innovation

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