A Perspective on the Revival of Structural (In)Stability With Novel Opportunities for Function: From Buckliphobia to Buckliphilia

Abstract

Buckling of slender structures is traditionally regarded as a first route toward failure. Here, we provide an alternative perspective on a burgeoning movement where mechanical instabilities are exploited to devise new classes of functional mechanisms that make use of the geometrically nonlinear behavior of their postbuckling regimes. Selected examples are highlighted across lengthscales to illustrate some of the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.