From Pixels to Insight
A series that reveals the hidden side of image analysis in a few snapshots:
2. The Hidden Motion of Flexible Beams
Researchers from the Flexible Structures Laboratory (FLEXLAB) have developed a new way to store and control information inside special mechanical materials made of tiny “switchable” elements. Instead of actuating each element individually—a slow and impractical process—they use a simple global motion: a rotating platform whose speed and acceleration can be tuned. By carefully designing how the material reacts to these changes, a single rotation cycle can set the system into any desired state. EPFL’s Image Analysis Hub supported the project by analyzing videos of the rotating beams. They used mathematical curves to precisely trace the shape of each beam in motion, allowing measurements of curvature and bending energy. This detailed image-based analysis provided essential data to understand how the beams deform and react within the rotating setup.
A pre-print of the FLEXLAB paper is on arXive: https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.16257
Need help with your image data?https://imaging.epfl.ch/image-processing