Building Software Defined Materials with Nanonetworks

In this paper, we present a class of programmable materials, whose electromagnetic properties can be controlled via software. These Software Defined Materials (SDMs) stem from merging metamaterials with nanonetworks. Metamaterials are artificial structures with properties that may not be found in nature. They have inspired ground-breaking applications to a range of research topics, such as electromagnetic invisibility of objects (cloaking), radiation absorption, exquisite filtering of light and sound, as well as efficient antennas for sensors and implantable communication devices. However, existing metamaterial structures are "rigid", i.e. they cannot be restructured once constructed. This limits their fabrication to a handful of well-equipped laboratories worldwide, slows down innovation, and, most importantly, restricts their applicability to static structures only. SDMs act as "plastic" (reconfigurable) metamaterials, whose properties can be changed programmatically via a computer interface. This control is achieved by a network of nanomachines, incorporated into the very structure of the metamaterial. The nanomachines receive directives from a user and perform simple but geometry-altering actions on the metamaterial structure, tuning its electromagnetic behavior. The present paper introduces SDMs, defining the concept and highlighting its promising future aspects. Presently realizable implementation approaches are given, alongside specifications of a suitable nanonetworking model, its unique challenges and promising resolutions paths.