This is a material made entirely out of modules that are attached to each other only through magnetism.
Each module would be one of the group of space-filling polyhedra.
This material would be self-healing.-- JesusHChrist, Jan 24 2017 Halteres Wear Halteres_20Wear [JesusHChrist, Jan 28 2017] Time crystals, atoms that can't stay still even at absolute zero http://www.sciencea...atter-time-crystals... a bit like five year olds, but smaller, and less likely to have chocolate around their mouths [not_morrison_rm, Jan 28 2017] If homogenous, the material would have to very cold.-- wjt, Jan 25 2017 What would give it it's shape? For instance, I can form a cube out of little cubical magnets, but if I bash it out of shape it won't return to the original shape.
Also, what would the material be used for?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 25 2017 For healing one's self, I assumed-- pocmloc, Jan 25 2017 Impossible: Earnshaw's theorem.-- notexactly, Jan 27 2017 Wouldn't shape return be totally on how strong the magnets are. All materials would bounce back ever so slightly after deformation.
As for Earnshaw, the bottom line is static. A slightly dynamic structure could be stable. So some of the modules need to move and require energy of some sort.
I imagine this idea would be in the relm of more intricate EM field engineering.
Build it, and clever minds will use it.-- wjt, Jan 28 2017 Combine this with Halteres Wear (link) for energy.-- JesusHChrist, Jan 28 2017 I may be being dumb, but I still don't understand this. How big are the magnetic polyhedra? If they're radically displaced by an impact, what ensures that they go back together in the same arrangement (as opposed to some other, magnetically-stable arrangement)?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 28 2017 Maybe the magnets are encoded pair-matched (like QR codes of N and S poles) so only a specific pair will latch together, or at least so a specific pair has a stronger attraction than other possible pairings.-- pocmloc, Jan 28 2017 That might possibly work. On the other hand, the structure is not going to be either stiff or (in tension) strong. For example, a rod made of end-to-end magnets will not support its own weight (as a horizontal cantilever) over more than about 15 diameters. If you factor in specific pairing, the strength will necessarily be less (since each magnetic bond must be weaker than that between simple magnets with the same contact area).
So, I am still curious as to [JHC]'s application for this material/structure.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 28 2017 I wondered if the //suspended// thing was refering to magnetic levitation-- pocmloc, Jan 28 2017 Perhaps it's time to explore the magnetic properties of cheese...Gouda vs Cheddar etc
NB just found the time crystals news on reddit - see link-- not_morrison_rm, Jan 28 2017 Isn't Bose-Einstein condensate just a some modules(atoms) locked in a paterned structure due to a pure collective EM field not having any disturbing energies to fight?
True, The pattern of the EM field of this material is going to have to be something abhorent to nature if it going to have any strength or healing ability.
Maybe, designer fog.-- wjt, Jan 29 2017 I keep picturing a chain mail made from interlocking horseshoe magnets.When torn or ripped apart the material would separate the magnets. Since the ends of the half-links in individual rows would need to be + / - / + / - etc... the individual half-links themselves would stay attracted to their torn neighbours and remain in place. When brought back within proximity the two halves of the tear would reattach like a zipper, but could also reattach out of order.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jan 29 2017 [2fries] You have morphed your idea away from leviating magnets -/- and -/+ complexity, back to a straight +/- attraction which can be bought at the local toy or department store.
If the module had another dimension so not quite levitating, it could form a solid structure. Maybe the module has surfaces for resting against other modules to help position in the overall push push terrain. It almost has to be a tied knot of magnet push.
Think Magnetix but the magnet poles are in the centre of the link and the neutral ends rest on each other. The ultimate puzzle, place one wrong piece and the thing falls apart.-- wjt, Jan 29 2017 Would it be possible to do this with superconductors (which wjt alluded to with "very cold") combined with permanent magnets? I'm not sure how you'd do it, but it's not proven impossible like with just the permanent magnets.
Actually I can almost see how to do this except the self healing part.
Say the shapes are cubes. Pick three faces, say top, left, and front. These have a magnet with North Pole facing out. The opposite three have South Pole facing out.
This will make them stick together in a cubic pattern, but we want a gap between them. So place a superconductive or diamagnetic material either between the magnets, or opposing extra magnets, on each face. If these get close enough, they will repel the magnets, enough to overpower the force between the permanent magnets.
If you use diamagnetic materials they could only have a small gap from the magnets as they aren't very strong. Better may be to use permanent magnets for both attraction and repulsion between the adjacent faces, and diamagnetic materials only to resist turning (if this is possible). (Edited to add: the diamagnetic material would also need to stabilise against any sideways sliding force, in case there aren't more cubes beside it)-- caspian, Oct 20 2018 I saw a levitating lightbulb product; the lightbulb lit up and levitated with a computer controlled EM field powering the internal magnetic coils.
So, do the same thing, but levitate a rubik's cube, and have little motors inside it that can rotate the cubettes to give it interlocking capability with other rubik's cubes.
Then do it with something more interesting than rubik's cubes.
If the plane the assemblage of multiple cubes is floating has enough EM energy you could do some variety of "healing"-- beanangel, Oct 20 2018 random, halfbakery