Supplementary Materials for
A bioinspired snap-through metastructure for manipulating micro-objects
Xuan Zhang et al.
Sci. Adv. 8, eadd4768 (2022)
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add4768
The PDF file includes:
Supplementary Text
Sections S1 to S3
Figs. S1 to S18
Legends for movies S1 to S12
Other Supplementary Material for this manuscript includes the following:
Movies S1 to S12
Supplementary Text
Section I: Theoretical analyses of a curved beam constrained by a spring
Euler-Bernoulli beam analysis
First we analyze the problem using Euler-Bernoulli analysis. The coordinate system is
shown in Fig. S2, i.e., the positive 𝑥-direction is rightwards and the positive 𝑦-direction is
downwards. The beam in the undeformed configuration has the shape
ℎ 2𝜋𝑥
𝑤𝑜 = 2 [cos ( 𝐿 ) − 1] (S1)
𝑜
with ℎ⁄𝐿0 ≪ 1, where 𝐿0 is the projected length of the undeformed beam, which defines the
distance between the supports.
We apply a transverse force, 𝐹, at the center of the beam that induces an axial compressive
force, 𝑃. For Euler-Bernoulli analysis, we assume that, to 1st order, the beam is straight (without
curvature) and inextensible. The governing equation for the beam deformation is
𝑑2 𝑢 𝐹𝑥
𝐸𝐼 𝑑𝑥 2 + 𝑃𝑢 = 𝑀0 − 𝑃𝑤𝑜 − , (S2)
2
where 𝑢 is the transverse displacement with positive direction defined to be the direction of the
applied force, 𝐸 is the Young’s modulus of the beam material, and 𝐼 the second moment of area
of the beam cross-section.
Based on the solution of Eq. (S2) and the beam boundary conditions, which are 𝑤𝑖 (0) =
𝑤𝑖 (𝐿) = 0 and 𝑤𝑖′ (0) = 𝑤𝑖′ (𝐿) = 0, we obtain the deflection of the deformed beam in 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤
𝐿𝑜 ⁄2 as:
𝐿 𝑃 𝑃
2𝜋 2 [cos( √ )−1][cos(𝑥√ )−1]𝐹
ℎ 𝐸𝐼( 𝐿 ) 2𝜋𝑥 2 𝐸𝐼 𝐸𝐼
𝑤 = 𝑤0 + 𝑢 = [cos ( 𝐿 ) − 1] + +
2 𝐸𝐼(2𝜋)2 −𝑃 𝑃 𝐿 𝑃
𝐿 2𝑃√ sin( √ )
𝐸𝐼 2 𝐸𝐼
(S3)
𝐹 𝐸𝐼 𝑃
[√ 𝑃 sin (𝑥√𝐸𝐼) − 𝑥].
2𝑃
The result for 𝐿𝑜 ⁄2 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 𝐿𝑜 is obtained by symmetry.
Next, we consider the lateral displacement of the beam end connected to the spring. The arc
length of the undeformed, curved beam is 𝑠0 . Let us consider the beam to be inextensible and not
attached to the spring, where we apply 𝐹 and 𝑃 simultaneously as external forces. As a
consequence, the arc length of the beam between the support points reduces by the amount 𝑠0 −
𝑠. To accommodate this, the free end of the beam (i.e., the end to be connected to the spring)
moves to the right by 𝑠0 − 𝑠. Now we consider an extensible beam, so that it experiences
compressive strain such as 𝑃⁄𝐸𝐴. The total length of the beam then decreases and the free end of
the beam moves to the left by 𝑃𝑠0⁄𝐸𝐴. In sum, the free end of the beam moves to the right by
𝑃 𝑃
𝑢𝑠 = 𝑠0 (1 − 𝐸𝐴) − 𝑠 = 𝑘 , (S4)
where the calculation of arc length is,
𝐿 d𝑤 2 𝐿 1 d𝑤 2
𝑠0 = ∫0 0 √1 + ( d𝑥0 ) d𝑥 ≈ ∫0 0 [1 + 2 ( d𝑥0 ) ] d𝑥 . (S5)
We rearrange Eq. (S4) to obtain:
𝑘𝑠0
𝑃 = 𝑘(𝑠0 − 𝑠)⁄(1 + ). (S6)
𝐸𝐴
Taking Eqs. (S3), (S5), and (S6), we derived a quadratic equation for 𝐹 and implemented that in a
MATLAB routine (MathWorks, MA, USA).
The displacement-based variational method
We revisit the problem by using a displacement-based variational method. For the analysis
of the force-displacement response, normalized variables were used as follows:
𝑢 𝐿3 𝑢 𝐿3 𝑢 𝐿3 𝑢 𝐿3 𝑓𝐿3 𝑝𝐿20 𝐿 𝑘𝐿30
𝑠 0
𝑈𝑠 = 𝐸𝐼ℎ 𝑏 0 𝑘 0 𝑓 0 ̅ 0
, 𝜆 = 𝐿 , 𝑘̅ =
2 , 𝑈𝑏 = 𝐸𝐼ℎ 2 , 𝑈𝑘 = 𝐸𝐼ℎ 2 , 𝑈𝑓 = 𝐸𝐼ℎ 2 , 𝑓 = 𝐸𝐼ℎ , 𝑝̅ = 𝐸𝐼 𝐸𝐼
0
where 𝐸 is the Young’s modulus of the beam material, 𝐼 the second moment of inertia of the
beam, and 𝜆 the length ratio 𝐿/𝐿0 .
The shape of the initial curved beam is expressed as follows:
ℎ 2𝜋𝑥 ℎ
𝑤0 = − 2 cos + 2 = 𝐵10 ⋅ 𝑤1 (𝑥), (S7)
𝐿
where 𝐵10 = 0.5. The shape of the deformed beam at any location is described by:
𝑤(𝑥)|𝐹=𝑓 = ℎ ⋅ ∑∞
𝑖=1 𝐵𝑖 ⋅ 𝑤𝑖 (𝑥). (S8)
In Eqs. (S7) and (S8), 𝑤𝑖 (𝑥) is naturally satisfy the displacement boundary conditions of the
beam 𝑤𝑖 (0) = 𝑤𝑖 (𝐿) = 0 and 𝑤𝑖′ (0) = 𝑤𝑖′ (𝐿) = 0, andgiven by:
𝑁𝑖 𝑥
1 − cos
𝑤𝑖 (𝑥) = { 𝐿 𝑖 = 1,3,5 …
𝑁𝑖 = (𝑖 + 1)𝜋
𝑥 𝑁𝑖 𝑥 2 sin 𝑁𝑖 𝑥/𝐿
1 − 2 𝐿 − cos +
𝑤𝑖 (𝑥) = { 𝐿 𝑁𝑖 𝑖 = 2,4,6 … (S9)
tan(𝑁𝑖 /2) = 𝑁𝑖 /2
In accordance to Eq. (S8), the displacement of the center point of the beam can be written as:
𝑑̅ = 1 − 2 ∑∞
𝑖=1,5,9... 𝐵𝑖 . (S10)
The total length of the curved beam can be calculated as
𝐿 d𝑤 2 𝐿 1 d𝑤 2
𝑠0 = ∫0 0 √1 + ( d𝑥0 ) d𝑥 ≈ ∫0 0 [1 + 2 ( d𝑥0 ) ] d𝑥 (S11)
where 𝑠0 and 𝑠 are the arc lengths of the beam in the initial undeformed and the arbitrarily
deformed configuration, so that
2
𝑠0 𝐿0 𝐿20 (𝐵10 𝑁1 )
𝑠̅0 = = ℎ2 + (S12)
ℎ2 4
and
𝑠𝐿0 𝜆𝐿20 1
𝑠̅ = = + 4𝜆 ∑∞ 2
𝑖=1(𝐵𝑖 𝑁𝑖 ) . (S13)
ℎ2 ℎ2
The compressive force 𝑝 in the beam is related to the change of the arc length and the spring
deformation as follows:
𝑠
𝑝 = 𝐸𝑏𝑡 (1 − 𝑠 ) = 𝑘(𝐿 − 𝐿0 ). (S14)
0
According to Eq. (S14), we obtain
𝑠0 2
𝑝̅ ⋅̅̅̅⋅𝑡
𝑠̅0 − 𝑠̅ = (S15)
12𝐿20
and
0 𝑠 𝑘
𝜕𝑠 = − 𝐸𝑏𝑡 𝜕𝐿. (S16)
̅ as
We defined 𝑀
̅ = ∑∞
𝑀 2
𝑖=1(𝐵𝑖 𝑁𝑖 ) . (S17)
Considering Eqs. (S12), (S13), and (S15), we get the following relationship:
2 2
̅ = 4𝜆 (𝑠̅0 − 𝜆𝐿20 − 𝑝̅ ⋅̅̅̅⋅𝑡
𝑀
𝑠0
). (S18)
ℎ 12𝐿2 0
In addition, we define 𝐶̅ as
𝐿2 ̅
𝑀
𝐶̅ = ℎ02 − 4𝜆2 . (S19)
Combining Eqs. (S13), (S16), (S18), and (S19), we obtain
0 ̅ ⋅𝑡
𝑠̅̅̅⋅𝑘 2 ∑∞ 2
𝑖=1 𝑁𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝜕𝐵𝑖
(𝐶̅ + ) 𝜕𝜆 = − . (S20)
12𝐿20 2𝜆
Considering
̅̅̅⋅𝑘
𝑠 ⋅𝑡 ̅ 2
𝑅̅ = 𝐶̅ + 012𝐿2 , (S21)
0
we rewrite Eq. (S20) as follows:
∑∞ 2
𝑖=1 𝑁𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝜕𝐵𝑖
𝜕𝜆 = − . (S22)
2𝜆𝑅̅
Next, we consider the potential energies in the system. The deformed curved beam exhibits
four potential energies: the elastic compressive energy, 𝑢𝑠 , and bending energy, 𝑢𝑏 , in the beam,
the elastic potential energy stored in the spring, 𝑢𝑘 , and the potential energy of the external force,
𝑢𝑓 . We separately derive the expression of the energy variation in form of the superposition of
each displacement variation 𝜕(𝐵𝑖 ). Due to the variational principle, the variations of the total
energy in the system should equal to zero,
𝜕(𝜋) = 𝜕(𝑢𝑏 + 𝑢𝑠 + 𝑢𝑘 + 𝑢𝑓 ) = ∑∞
𝑖=1 𝜂(𝐵𝑖 )𝜕(𝐵𝑖 ) = 0 (S23)
so that 𝜂(𝐵𝑖 ) = 0, because each displacement variation 𝜕(𝐵𝑖 ) is arbitrary and independent of
each other. By substituting the expression of 𝐵𝑖 into Eq. (2), the overall force-displacement
relationship is solved.
The bending energy in the deformed curved beam can be expressed as
2
𝐸𝐼 𝐿
0 𝜕2𝑤 𝜕2 𝑤0
𝑢𝑏 = ∫0 ( 𝜕𝑥 2 − ) d𝑥 (S24)
2 𝜕𝑥 2
so that the normalized variation of the bending energy is
𝑁4 𝐵 (0) 𝑁𝑖4 𝐵𝑖
𝜕(𝑈𝑏 ) ≈ 2𝜆12 (𝜆21 − 𝐵1 ) 𝜕𝐵1 + ∑∞
𝑖=2 𝜕𝐵𝑖 . (S25)
2𝜆4
The variation of the compressive energy in the beam is
𝑝𝑠0 𝑘
𝜕(𝑢𝑠 ) = −𝑝𝜕(𝑠) = 𝜕𝐿. (S26)
𝐸𝑏𝑡
After normalization and substituting Eq. (S22), we obtain
𝑠0 ̅ ⋅𝑡 2 ∞
𝑝̅ ⋅̅̅̅⋅𝑘
𝜕(𝑈𝑠 ) = − ∑𝑖=1 𝑁𝑖2 𝐵𝑖 𝜕 𝐵𝑖 . (S27)
24𝐿20 𝜆𝑅̅
The potential energy stored in the spring is
1
𝑢𝑘 = 2 𝑘(𝐿 − 𝐿0 )2 (S28)
so that the normalized variation is
𝐿20 (1−𝜆)𝑘
̅ ∞ 2
𝜕(𝑈𝑘 ) = 2 ̅ ∑𝑖=1 𝑁𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝜕 𝐵𝑖 . (S29)
2ℎ 𝜆𝑅
The potential energy of the external force is given by
𝑑
𝑢𝑓 = − ∫0 𝑓(𝛥) ⋅ d𝛥 (S30)
and its variation is
𝜕(𝑈𝑓 ) = 2𝑓 ̅ ∑∞
𝑖=1,5,9... 𝜕𝐵𝑖 . (S31)
Then, we define 𝐽𝑖 as
𝑁4 𝑠0 ̅ ⋅𝑡 2 𝑁𝑖2
𝑝̅ ⋅̅̅̅⋅𝑘 ̅ 𝑁𝑖2
𝐿20 (1−𝜆)𝑘
𝐽𝑖 = 2𝜆𝑖4 − + 2 ̅ . (S32)
24𝐿20 𝜆𝑅̅ 2ℎ 𝜆𝑅
Summation of the four energies provides the total energy
𝜕(Π) = 𝜕(𝑈𝑏 ) + 𝜕(𝑈𝑠 ) + 𝜕(𝑈𝑘 ) + 𝜕(𝑈𝑓 )
(0)
𝑁14 𝐵1
= (𝐽1 𝐵1 − + 2𝑓 )̅ 𝜕𝐵1 + ∑∞ ̅ ∞
𝑖=5,9,…(𝐽𝑖 𝐵𝑖 + 2𝑓 )𝜕𝐵𝑖 + ∑𝑖≠1,5,9,… 𝐽𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝜕𝐵𝑖 = 0 (S33)
2𝜆2
The solutions of Eq. (S33) are approached by considering three different conditions:
- Case I: 𝐵𝑖 ≡ 0 for 𝑖 ≠ 1,5,9, …
- Case II: 𝐵𝑖 = 0 for 𝑖 = 2,4,6, … (only symmetric deformation occurs)
- Case III: 𝐵𝑖 ≠ 0 for all 𝑖 (asymmetric deformation can occur)
If Case I is satisfied, then 𝐵𝑖 can be calculated as
(0)
𝑁14 𝐵1 2𝑓̅
𝐵1 = − (S34-1)
2𝜆2 𝐽1 𝐽1
2𝑓̅
𝐵𝑖 = − 𝐽 𝑖 = 5,9, ⋯ (S34-2)
𝑖
𝐵𝑖 = 0 𝑖 ≠ 1,5,9, ⋯ (S34-3)
In accordance with Eq. (S17), we derive the quadratic function to calculate the external force 𝑓 ̅
as follows:
(0) 2
2
2𝑁16 𝐵1 𝑁 10 𝐵 (0)
4𝑁𝑖
(∑∞
𝑖=1,5,9,… 𝐽2 ) 𝑓
̅2 − 𝑓̅ + 1 1 ̅=0
−𝑀 (S35)
𝑖 𝜆2 𝐽12 4𝜆4 𝐽12
If Case II is satisfied, then 𝐵𝑖 is the same as given by Eq. (S34) but 𝐵3 ≠ 0. In accordance with
the last term in Eq. (S33), 𝐽3 must be zero. Therefore,
𝑁4 𝑠0 ̅ ⋅𝑡 2 𝑁32
𝑝̅ ⋅̅̅̅⋅𝑘 𝐿20 (1−𝜆)𝑘
̅ 𝑁32
𝐽3 = 2𝜆34 − + 2 ̅ =0 (S36)
24𝐿20 𝜆𝑅̅ 2ℎ 𝜆𝑅
The expression for 𝑝̅ is then given by
24𝐿2 𝑅̅ 𝐿20 (1−𝜆)𝑘
0
̅ 𝑁2
𝑝̅ = ̅̅̅⋅𝑘 [ + 2𝜆33 ] (S37)
𝑠 ̅ ⋅𝑡 2
0 2ℎ 𝑅̅
2
After the value of 𝑝̅ is obtained, the external force can be calculated in accordance with Eq.
(S17) by the following quadratic equation:
4𝑁𝑖2 𝑁16 𝑁 10
(∑∞
𝑖=1,5,9,… ) 𝑓 ̅2 − 𝑓 ̅ + 16𝜆14 𝐽2 + 𝑁32 𝐵32 − 𝑀
̅=0 (S38)
𝐽𝑖2 𝜆2 𝐽 21 1
If Case III is satisfied, then 𝐵𝑖 is the same as given by Eq. (S34) but 𝐵2 ≠ 0. In accordance with
the last term in Eq. (S32), 𝐽2 must be zero. Therefore,
𝑁4 𝑠0 ̅ ⋅𝑡 2 𝑁22
𝑝̅ ⋅̅̅̅⋅𝑘 𝐿20 (1−𝜆)𝑘
̅ 𝑁22
𝐽2 = 2𝜆24 − + 2 ̅ =0 (S39)
24𝐿20 𝜆𝑅̅ 2ℎ 𝜆𝑅
The expression for 𝑝̅ is then given by
24𝐿2 𝑅̅ 𝐿20 (1−𝜆)𝑘
0
̅ 𝑁2
𝑝̅ = ̅̅̅⋅𝑘 [ + 2𝜆23 ] (S40)
𝑠 ̅ ⋅𝑡 2
0 2ℎ 𝑅̅
2
After the value of 𝑝̅ is obtained, the external force can be calculated in accordance with Eq.
(S17) by the following quadratic equation:
4𝑁𝑖2 𝑁16 10
(∑∞
𝑖=1,5,9,… ) 𝑓 ̅2 − 𝑓 ̅ + 𝑁1 2 + 𝑁22 𝐵22 − 𝑀
̅=0 (S41)
𝐽𝑖2 2
𝜆 𝐽
1
2 16𝜆4 𝐽
1
As a result of the theoretical analysis, we derive the entire deformation process and mechanical
response of the curved beam as a function of the applied force exerted at the center of the beam.
To obtain the solution, the flowchart depicted in fig. S2 has been implemented in a MATLAB
routine (MathWorks, MA, USA). Fig. S4 compares the results obtained from the Euler-Bernoulli
analysis, the variational method, and the FEA.
Section II: Calculation of switching ratio
The switching ratio is defined as a ratio of the highest and lowest adhesion forces for a given
adhesive. As we know that the adhesion forces tested on different material surfaces are changed,
here we give an example based on picking and placing one object with a weight of 6 g which is
the lightest among our demos and show how we define and calculate the switching ratio of our
system. For the highest adhesion force, we approached and attached the central piece of the
curved beam part to the targeted object but before snap through, and then retracted after holding
10 s with a constant loading speed of 10 m/s. The measured pull-off force is defined as the
highest adhesion force (which is ~0.8 mN in dry adhesion without modification on the central
top, and ~0.7 mN in wet adhesion with the cupped fibril). After the occurrence of snap-through
and when the central piece is no longer contacting with the object and the adhesion provided by
this part is zero. At this moment, two ends of the structure are still in contact with the object and
supply a slight adhesion force here. Therefore, instead by setting the lowest adhesion as zero
which leads to an infinity switching ratio, we set the lowest value as the gravitation of the object
and the practical switching ratio for this example is calculated as ~13333 in dry condition and
~11667 in wet condition.
Section III: Design criteria of the laminated spring and U-shaped frame
(1) Laminated spring:
The stiffness of the laminated spring determines the maximum compression force when the snap
through occurs. We plotted three exemplary force-displacement curves in fig. S15 with different
𝛽 and thickness of spring. The peak forces with the same laminated spring but different curved
beams are similar, but the peak force with thicker laminated spring (fig. S15A) is higher, proving
that the peak compression force is dominated by the stiffness of the laminated spring.
However, the stiffness of the laminated spring cannot be too compliant. As shown in fig. S16
and movie S11, the stored elastic energy in the laminated spring cannot promptly overcome the
adhesion between soft material surfaces and the friction resistance due to the relative movement
of the curved beam and U-shape frame (arrows in fig. S16). Longer time is needed for full
recovery.
In short, a trade-off must be found between small compression for triggering the snap-through
and sufficient stored elastic energy in the laminated spring for pushing the curved beam out.
(2) U-shaped frame surrounding the curved beam:
Two criteria should be fulfilled. Firstly, the outer width of U-shaped frame should be as close to
the inner width of the stiff frame as possible, as we already demonstrated in fig. S14 and movie
S10 that the snap-through is hard to trigger if the outer width of U-shaped frame is much smaller
than the inner width of the stiff frame. Secondly, the height of U-shape frame should be large
enough to accommodate the deformed the curved beam, meaning roughly d2 > d1 as marked in
fig. S17. The height cannot be too long and should be comparable to the inner height of stiff
frame, because after the relative movement, the two ends of curved beam are within the stiff
frame.
Fig. S1. Macroscopic demonstration of monostable/bistable responses. (A) Experimental
demonstration of the monostable response of a curved beam connected to a U-shaped, trilateral
frame. The entire unit is made from polyurethane with 𝑬 = 𝟐𝟎 𝐌𝐏𝐚. (B) Demonstration of the
bistable response of the same curved beam unit but confined within a rigid frame. (C-D)
Measured force-displacement curves under (C) unconfined and (D) confined conditions, which
correspond to (A) and (B), respectively.
Fig. S2. Flowchart of the analysis routine. It illustrates the analysis routine implemented in
MATLAB to solve the entire deformation process of the curved beam.
Fig. S3. Free body diagram. (A) Schematic illustration of the undeformed beam (grey), the
deformed beam (orange) and (B) the internal forces and moments.
Fig. S4. Comparison of theory and FEA. Theoretical force-displacement curves obtained from
Euler-Bernoulli analysis (solid lines), the variational method (dashed-dotted lines), and the finite
element analysis (FEA, dashed lines).
Fig. S5. Numerical results of the second and third buckling modes. (A) A straight beam with
constant thickness with 𝜷 = 𝟏. 𝟎 and (B) a straight beam with variable-thickness with 𝜷 = 𝟐. 𝟎.
Fig. S6. Parameters B2, B3 and p change with displacement. (A) Amplitudes B2 or B3 and (B)
force in the spring p changing with displacement of central point.
Fig. S7. Demonstration of a one-way switchable adhesive. Upon attachment at small preloads,
the object is picked up and placed at a new position. High compression induces the snap-through
bistability, leading to detachment and release of the object.
Fig. S8. Snapshots of a macroscopic demonstrator for a pick-and-place handling process of
a paper card.
Fig. S9. Simulation model and max. principal strain evolution. (A) The entire metastructure
model with element meshes. (B) Evolution of maximum principal strain during deformation in
FEA simulation.
Fig. S10. Compression process of the metastructure with 𝜷 =1.4. (A) SEM image and (B)
deformation process of the metastructure with 𝛽 =1.4.
Fig. S11. Snapshots of the pick-and-place handling process of a superlight object with a
weight of 1.4 mg.
Fig. S12. Electron micrograph of the miniaturized device. Inset shows the quadrant circle
modification at the end of the curved beam.
Fig. S13. Cyclic tests. (A and B) The cyclic force-displacement responses for two samples, and
(C) corresponding optical photos of the metastructure after specific cyclic tests.
Fig. S14. Effect of the gap between the frame and the curved beam unit. (A and B) The
device with a gap of 14 m allows the snap-through to occur. (C and D) The device with a gap
of 41 m disables the snap-through due to the reduced stiffness at the ends of the curved beam.
Fig. S15. Effect of the thickness of the laminated spring on maximum force. (A and B) SEM
images of the metastructures with thicker (30 m-thick) and thinner (21 m-thick) laminated
springs separately. (C) Force-displacement responses of metastructures with different geometric
dimension.
Fig. S16. Full recovery of the curved beam needs longer time if the laminated spring is thin.
Fig. S17. The deformation process indicates the design criteria of the dimensions of the U-
shaped frame.
Fig. S18. Surface profile and topography of different rough surfaces.
Movie S1. The force-displacement response of the curved beam unit along with the deformation
process without the supporter demonstrating the monostable behavior.
Movie S2. The force-displacement response of the curved beam unit along with the deformation
process confined within the supporter demonstrating the bistable behavior.
Movie S3. The compression of the curved beam unit confined in a stiff supporter which was
placed upside down to the substrate until there was no more distance to move, but the bistable
state actuated by snap-through was not seen.
Movie S4. The compression of the variable-thickness curved beam unit with 𝛽 = 1.4 confined in
a stiff supporter which was placed upside down to the substrate until there was no more distance
to move, and the bistable state actuated by snap-through was achieved.
Movie S5. One cycle of “pick-and-place” achieved using the curved beam unit confined in a stiff
supporter through the snap-through transition.
Movie S6. Demonstration of the two-way switchable prototype integrated into the trajectory of a
robotic arm system picking-and-placing objects.
Movie S7. FE Simulation on the compressive deformation of the entire metastructure model.
Movie S8. Miniaturized demonstrator with modified wavy-surface ends for picking-and-placing
the micro-object.
Movie S9. Miniaturized demonstrator with modified quadrant-circle ends for picking-and-
placing the micro-object.
Movie S10. Miniaturized demonstrator with a larger gap cannot trigger the snap-through so as
not to release the picked object.
Movie S11. Demonstration of underwater pick-and-place process with the miniaturized device.
Movie S12. Demonstration of pick-and-place process of rough-surface objects with the
miniaturized device modified with a soft, thin film.
