Free-form intelligent hydrodynamic metamaterials enabled by extreme anisotropy

Intelligent metamaterials have attracted widespread research interest due to their self-adaptive capabilities and controllability. They hold great potential for advancing fluid control by providing responsive and flexible solutions. However, current designs of passive hydrodynamic metamaterials are limited by their fixed shapes and specific environments, lacking environmental adaptability. These two constraints hinder the broader application of hydrodynamic metamaterials. In this work, we propose a design for passive intelligent metashells that utilize extremely anisotropic parameters to endow hydrodynamic metamaterials with self-adaptive abilities and free-form shapes. Achieving the required anisotropic parameters is challenging, but we ingeniously accomplished this by creating isobaric conditions through increasing the water height in the shell region. We validated the design through finite-element simulations. This approach overcomes the limitations of existing passive hydrodynamic metamaterials, enhancing their intelligent behavior. Our model improves the flexibility and robustness of hydrodynamic metamaterials in complex and dynamic environments, providing insights for future designs and practical applications