New insights in metamaterials lead to better implants, robot hands, and bumpers

University of Groningen

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This is a Graphical abstract of the paper.

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Credit: Small Structures / Shyam Veluvali & Anastasiia Krushynska, University of Groningen

Metamaterials are composites with a very precisely controlled structure. It is this structure that determines the properties of the metamaterial, not the substances it is made of. Typically, a metamaterial consists of repeating identical blocks called unit cells. New research by PhD student Shyam Veluvali, Prof. Anastasiia Krushynska, and colleagues from the University of Groningen, UMCG, and Karlstad University in Sweden shows that the overall mechanical response of metamaterials depends on how many unit cells are joined together, and how they are arranged.

In their paper in the journal Small Structures, Veluvali and colleagues show how the size of the building blocks affects the simplest behaviour, such as elasticity. They also show that the number of blocks can affect the metamaterial properties. Furthermore, the more blocks are added, the easier it becomes to predict the structural behaviour of a metamaterial. These insights help to predict the mechanics of metamaterials, such as bone implants, with higher precision.

A metamaterial alternative

Currently, bone implants are made of a titanium alloy, which is much stiffer than the bone itself and, therefore, takes most of the load from chewing or talking. The stiff titanium reduces the load on the remaining bone and, as the bone adapts to this load, weakens it. ‘We propose to replace traditional implants with a metamaterial alternative,’ says Veluvali. By adapting the material’s structure, it is possible to match the stiffness of the implant to that of the bone. In that case, the bone and the implant share the load and, consequently, the bone remains strong.

The paper also shows that it matters what type of force is acting on the metamaterial. Veluvali: ‘We found that different kinds of forces, such as shear, stretching, or torsion, can have different effects on the same material.’ This was not yet known, as prior studies focused on just a single force.

All these results are useful for the design of different types of implants (e.g. orthopaedic or spinal), and also of applications such as the grippers of robotic hands or energy absorbers such as car bumpers. ‘Our insights help to design safer, longer-lasting structures for various applications by choosing the right block size and arrangement.’

Reference: H.C.V.M. Shyam Veluvali et al.: When Scale Matters: Size-Dependent Mechanics of Architected Lattices for Implants and Beyond. Small Structures, 13 January 2026

Examples of metamaterial blocks with different unit cells that are studied in the paper. These blocks were additively manufactured from a polymer-based material using a hobby-type 3D printer, Bambu Lab X1 Carbon©, in the Metamechanics Lab, University of Groningen

Credit

Shantanu Nath, University of Groningen

The metamaterial blocks were used to test the stiffness of blocks with identical external/overall dimensions and mass, but with different numbers of unit cells. The experiments show that the number of unit cells is a crucial parameter influencing the stiffness under compression (left) and torsion (right). The samples were tested under compression in the Metamechanics Lab at the University of Groningen Physics department, using Instron© universal testing machines and under torsion at Instron©’s Applications Laboratory in Boston, USA.

Credit

Small Structures / Sidharth Beniwal (left) and Walter Conway, University of Groningen

Journal

Small Structures

DOI

10.1002/sstr.202500434 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

When Scale Matters: Size-Dependent Mechanics of Architected Lattices for Implants and Beyond

 

Big Earth Data researchers set a new global standard for earth data grids

A new axis-based data model promises more accurate, flexible, and interoperable Earth observation data across science, policy, and industry

Big Earth Data

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Rasdaman datacube engine supporting efficient storage, querying, and analysis of large multi-dimensional Earth observation datasets across spatial, temporal, and parametric axes, providing a practical implementation of the axis-based grid model for interoperable Earth data services.

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Credit: Pebau.grandauer from Openverse | ​​​​​​​Image Source Link: https://openverse.org/image/6f5a00ff-4650-4867-9774-3956d912c118?q=rasdaman&p=2

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Earth observation data support critical decisions in climate science, disaster risk reduction, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure planning. These data are typically organized as multidimensional grids that connect measurements to positions in space, time, and other dimensions. While such grid-based representations have been used for decades, their conceptual foundations have remained fragmented. Unclear definitions of grid structure, coordinate handling, and value interpretation have limited interoperability, introduced analytical errors, and complicated the integration of datasets across disciplines and platforms.

As Earth data volumes and complexity continue to grow, extending beyond simple maps and time series into large multidimensional datacubes, these shortcomings have become increasingly problematic. Addressing them requires a fundamental rethinking of how Earth data grids are formally defined.

Now, in a study, published in Big Earth Data on 12 December 2025, Professor Peter Baumann, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Constructor University in Bremen, Germany, reports that a new grid modeling framework resolves many of these long-standing issues. The study introduces an axis-centric approach that redefines how Earth data grids are formally described, modernizing international geospatial standards to better reflect how complex Earth data are produced and analyzed today.

The new framework builds on the updated ISO 19123–1 standard and shifts the focus away from predefined grid types toward independently defined axes. Each axis can represent simple indices, regularly or irregularly spaced coordinates, warped geometries, or algorithmic transformations. By allowing axes to be freely combined, the model can describe a wide range of real-world datasets, from uniform satellite imagery to irregularly sampled climate simulations, within a single, consistent structure.

A key conceptual advance is the clear separation between a grid’s domain and its values. The domain defines where data exist by specifying precise positions in space and time, while values describe what is measured at those positions. This distinction resolves persistent confusion over whether grid elements represent points, areas, or volumes. Instead of embedding such assumptions into the grid itself, the framework treats cells and shapes as visualization constructs layered on top of mathematically well-defined positions.

The study also formalizes how data values are evaluated at arbitrary positions within a grid. Rather than relying on implicit assumptions, the framework defines evaluation using regions of validity, weighting functions, and interpolation methods. This allows irregular sampling, mixed coordinate reference systems, and temporal offsets to be handled rigorously and transparently.

“For decades, scientists have relied on grid definitions that were never designed for today’s data complexity,” Prof. Baumann says. “Our work provides a mathematically sound foundation that finally aligns standards with modern Earth data practice.”

Beyond its conceptual contributions, the framework has direct implications for operational Earth data services. It underpins the evolution of the Coverage Implementation Schema (CIS) 1.1 and the forthcoming ISO 19123–2 standard, which modernize data encodings and support efficient, web-native formats such as JSON. The approach also enables scalable datacube services, including implementations in the rasdaman engine, allowing users to query massive multidimensional datasets across space, time, and additional parameters with high precision and performance.

Prof. Baumann contributes extensive expertise in geospatial standards, data modeling, and large-scale Earth data infrastructures. Together, these efforts position the new grid model as a superset of earlier standards, ensuring backward compatibility while enabling future innovation. Existing datasets and services can continue to operate, while new applications gain the flexibility needed to handle emerging data types and growing data volumes.

“This is about trust in data,” Prof. Baumann explains. “When grids are defined unambiguously, scientists can combine datasets confidently, algorithms behave predictably, and decision-makers can rely on the results.”

Looking ahead, more precise and interoperable Earth data grids could improve climate projections, strengthen early-warning systems for extreme weather, and support evidence-based environmental policy worldwide today. By resolving foundational ambiguities and aligning standards with real-world data practices, this study lays the groundwork for a more coherent, future-proof Earth data ecosystem.

 

Reference                        

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20964471.2025.2585732

 

About Constructor University, Bremen, Germany

Constructor University is a private, international research university located in Bremen, Germany. Known for its interdisciplinary approach and strong global outlook, the university brings together students and researchers from over 100 countries. Constructor University focuses on cutting-edge research in science, engineering, and data-driven disciplines, with a strong emphasis on innovation, societal impact, and real-world problem solving. Through close collaboration with industry and international partners, the university contributes to advancing knowledge and developing solutions for global challenges.

Website: https://constructor.university/

 

About Professor Peter Baumann from Constructor University

Peter Baumann is a Professor of Computer Science and an entrepreneur with internationally recognized expertise in large-scale data management. At Constructor University, Germany, he leads research on flexible and scalable datacube services and their applications across science and engineering. He is the pioneer behind the rasdaman engine, through which he and his team introduced datacubes and Array Databases, establishing the de facto standard for multidimensional data services. His work is documented in more than 200 scientific publications, supported by international patents, and has received numerous high-ranking innovation awards for its impact on data-driven science.

 

Funding information

Work in part was supported by EU Horizon (StandICT grant 101091933), North Atlantic Treaty Organization G5970, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme 09-1220.

New axis-based grid model illustrating how independent spatial, temporal, and parametric axes combine to represent complex Earth observation datasets, enabling consistent alignment, interpolation, and scalable analysis across heterogeneous data sources.

Credit

Peter Baumann from Constructor University, Germany | ​​​​​​​Image Source Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20964471.2025.2585732#d1e160

Journal

Big Earth Data

DOI

10.1080/20964471.2025.2585732 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

An introduction to the OGC/ISO coverage and datacube standard for modeling multi-dimensional, spatio-temporal Big Data

 

Voices of the Victorians analyzed in new research about northern accent development

The new study, published in the Journal of Sociolinguistics and undertaken with researchers at Leiden University, in The Netherlands, looks at how northern dialects evolved in the nineteenth century.

Lancaster University

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The Barrow-in-Furness accent is very different from the rest of Lancashire and Cumbria because of an intense mixing and rapid population change in the late 1800s, says new research by Lancaster University, which used the voices of Victorian speakers to inform the study.

People moved to Barrow, a shipbuilding centre now in Cumbria, from other parts of the UK, Scotland and Ireland, as well as surrounding areas and, says the research, the ensuing mix and population change led to the development of a new dialect in the town.

The new study, published in the Journal of Sociolinguistics and undertaken with researchers at Leiden University, in The Netherlands, looks at how northern dialects evolved in the nineteenth century.

Using recordings from the Elizabeth Roberts Working Class Oral History Archive, held at Lancaster University Regional Heritage Centre and Lancashire Archives, researchers tracked the Victorian origins of accent in Preston, Lancaster and Barrow.

The ‘voices of Victorians’ helped identify strong links between the growth of industry and the evolution of accents in the three locations.

The archive contains interviews with working class people born from the 1880s until the 1940s and was recorded by Lancaster University social historian Dr Elizabeth Roberts and colleagues in the 1970s and 1980s.

These interviews detail the ordinary lives of working-class people who lived in north Lancashire in the late nineteenth and twentieth century, which included Barrow until 1974, and cover topics such as how to weave cotton, family life and death, and preparing food such as sheep’s head broth.

Researchers used the archive recordings to conduct a linguistic analysis of how consonants are pronounced across the region.

In particular, they aimed to understand how urban dialects in formerly industrial areas have evolved due to population changes in the nineteenth century.

The research particularly focuses on the use of the rhotic ‘r’, (the pronunciation of ‘r’ in words like car, arm and park) as a barometer for accent development and the impact on vowel systems. This feature was once emblematic of the Lancashire accent, but in northern England it is now manly restricted to east Lancashire.

Linguistic analysis confirms local perceptions that the accent in Barrow is very different from the rest of Lancashire and Cumbria.

Researchers used information from the census to show that there was extremely high population growth and fertility rates in Barrow in 1850–1880.

People moved to the region from Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland, and the Midlands as well as surrounding areas. This intense mixing and rapid population change led to the development of a new dialect in the town.

The study also found:

• Speakers born in Lancaster and Preston retained more of the traditional aspects of Lancashire accent, for example pronouncing the ‘r’ in words like ‘arm’ and ‘car’.
• In Preston, the population grew steadily in the nineteenth century, but people mainly moved to the city from Lancashire to work in the cotton industry and the local accent was maintained.
• Lancaster accents developed as a more mixed variety due to the greater inter-class contact and lesser dependence on only one industry (cotton) as the city evolved in Victorian times.

Lead researcher Professor Claire Nance said: “The archive recordings allow us to look back in time at the Victorian origins of contemporary dialects.

“Interviews from Preston, Lancaster and Barrow give us a fascinating insight into the development of dialects in northern England as they have very distinct social histories and settlement patterns.

“We found very strong links between the growth of industry and the evolution of accent. This research allows us to celebrate accent as another aspect of our region’s long-lasting and distinct cultural heritage.”

The project was funded by Lancaster University and an Erasmus+ Internship (European Union) grant).

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Journal

Journal of Sociolinguistics

DOI

10.1111/josl.70011 

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Accent Change in the Wake of the Industrial Revolution: Tracing Derhoticisation Across Historic North Lancashire