Hybrid active deformable material structure

A method for making a hybrid active deformable material structure comprising acts, for forming a deformation unit, of:

• providing an actively deformable material structure, wherein the actively deformable material structure may be caused to change shape in response to an external stimulus;
• providing a selectively deformable material structure;
• and
• placing the selectively deformable material structure in functional cooperation with the actively deformable material structure, wherein the selectively deformable material structure may be caused to become selectively stiff or malleable and deform in response to a chance in shape of the actively deformable material structure and, when deformed, to nonreversibly retain a shape into which it was deformed.

A method for actuating a hybrid active deformable material structure, comprising acts for deforming a deformation unit comprised of an actively deformable material structure in functional cooperation with a selectively deformable material structure, wherein the actively deformable material structure may be caused to change shape in response to a stimulus and the selectively deformable material structure may be caused to become selectively stiff or malleable in response to a stimulus, by:

• stimulating the selectively deformable material structure to cause the selectively deformable material structure to become malleable;
• stimulating an actively deformable material structure, causing the deformation unit to deform to a desired shape;
• and
• de-stimulating the selectively deformable material structure to cause the deformation unit to nonreversible retain the shape into which it was deformed.