journal article·2026-03Open access

Rotary Electromechanical System Integrating Non‐Reciprocal Memory and Combinational Logic

Shujia Chen, Don Straney, Damiano Pasini

Advanced Science· Volume 13· Issue 17

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent advances in mechanical computing have harnessed bistable mechanisms with intrinsic memory to extend the scope of physically embodied intelligence, enabling history‐dependent behavior. However, existing mechanical computing architectures largely fail to integrate mechanically encoded memory with the logic operations necessary for sequential information processing, a foundational requirement for advanced computational tasks, such as autonomous sequential decision‐making. Here, we introduce a rotary electromechanical computing system that unifies non‐reciprocal mechanical memory with combinational logic, enabling reprogrammable sequential decision‐making within a single finite‐state‐machine (FSM) framework. The architecture consists of serially coupled rotary bistable units that collectively produce a history‐dependent, non‐reciprocal mechanical memory. The discrete geometric orientation of each unit encodes a binary state, which is transduced through a conductive network to execute logic operations. Under applied torque, the stacked system functions as a four‐bit FSM, in which state‐transition rules can be reconfigured by modifying the electromechanical coupling. This rotary FSM demonstrates multiple computing functionalities, including digital combination locking, in‐memory electromechanical computation, and reprogrammable digital control. By embedding non‐reciprocal state evolution and electrical logic directly into physical hardware, this work establishes a pathway toward physically embedded intelligence for next‐generation electromechanical systems.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence · Neural Networks and Reservoir Computing · Ferroelectric and Negative Capacitance Devices

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

Affiliations

Department of Mechanical Engineering McGill University Montreal Canada

Funding

China Scholarship Council · Canada Research Chairs · Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

References (39)

Show source-provided references
1. 10.1038/s41586-021-03623-y10.1038/s41586-021-03623-y ↗
2. 10.1038/s43588-024-00673-w10.1038/s43588-024-00673-w ↗
3. 10.1088/1361-665X/adb7aa10.1088/1361-665X/adb7aa ↗
4. 10.1126/sciadv.abf196610.1126/sciadv.abf1966 ↗
5. 10.1038/s41467-023-42323-110.1038/s41467-023-42323-1 ↗
6. 10.1073/pnas.160483811310.1073/pnas.1604838113 ↗
7. 10.1038/s41467-021-27608-710.1038/s41467-021-27608-7 ↗
8. 10.1038/s41467-021-21920-y10.1038/s41467-021-21920-y ↗
9. 10.1126/sciadv.ado647610.1126/sciadv.ado6476 ↗
10. 10.1002/advs.20250982910.1002/advs.202509829 ↗
11. 10.1073/pnas.220592211910.1073/pnas.2205922119 ↗
12. 10.1002/advs.20230550110.1002/advs.202305501 ↗
13. 10.1038/s41586-022-05004-510.1038/s41586-022-05004-5 ↗
14. 10.1002/adfm.20242331410.1002/adfm.202423314 ↗
15. 10.1073/pnas.231734012110.1073/pnas.2317340121 ↗
16. 10.1126/sciadv.adg020110.1126/sciadv.adg0201 ↗
17. Hsu J. Y. · 2012
18. 10.1038/s41586-020-03123-510.1038/s41586-020-03123-5 ↗
19. 10.1002/advs.20230158110.1002/advs.202301581 ↗
20. 10.1002/adma.20230110910.1002/adma.202301109 ↗
21. 10.1073/pnas.230841412110.1073/pnas.2308414121 ↗
22. 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.26820410.1103/PhysRevLett.130.268204 ↗
23. 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.01312810.1103/PhysRevResearch.4.013128 ↗
24. 10.1115/1.403470610.1115/1.4034706 ↗
25. 10.1038/s41467-023-40989-110.1038/s41467-023-40989-1 ↗
26. 10.1038/s41586-023-06022-710.1038/s41586-023-06022-7 ↗
27. 10.1073/pnas.182067211610.1073/pnas.1820672116 ↗
28. 10.1126/scirobotics.adh406010.1126/scirobotics.adh4060 ↗
29. 10.1073/pnas.220002811910.1073/pnas.2200028119 ↗
30. 10.1016/j.matdes.2022.11130910.1016/j.matdes.2022.111309 ↗
31. 10.1038/s41598-018-36936-610.1038/s41598-018-36936-6 ↗
32. 10.1002/advs.20250174910.1002/advs.202501749 ↗
33. 10.1115/1.301331610.1115/1.3013316 ↗
34. 10.1038/nature2104410.1038/nature21044 ↗
35. 10.1038/s41467-023-40493-610.1038/s41467-023-40493-6 ↗
36. 10.1126/science.adf120610.1126/science.adf1206 ↗
37. 10.1038/s41928-018-0092-210.1038/s41928-018-0092-2 ↗
38. 10.1073/pnas.240743112110.1073/pnas.2407431121 ↗
39. 10.1016/j.eml.2023.10197510.1016/j.eml.2023.101975 ↗