Researchers use models and experiments to guide and harness transition waves in multi-stable mechanical structures

If you’ve ever opened an umbrella or set up a folding chair, you’ve used a deployable structure—an object that can transition from a compact state to an expanded one. You’ve probably noticed that such structures usually require rather complicated locking mechanisms to hold them in place. And, if you’ve ever tried to open an umbrella in the wind or fold a particularly persnickety folding chair, you know that today’s deployable structures aren’t always reliable or autonomous.