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Health & Science1h 36m ago

Researchers at the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder have found that a tightly compressed bundle of office staples can surprisingly shift from strong to fragile instantly, inspiring a new generation of engineered materials.

CU Boulder

Who
Researchers at the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder, Professor Francois Barthelat, PhD student Youhan Sohn, PhD student Saeed Pezeshki
What
Researchers at the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder have found that a tightly compressed bundle of office staples can surprisingly shift from strong to fragile instantly, inspiring a new generation of engineered materials.
When
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:55:00 GMT · 1h 36m ago
Where
CU Boulder ·
Why
This unusual combination of strength and reversibility could help inspire a new generation of engineered materials by designing particles that interlock in a similar way to staples.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This research could lead to the development of new materials for construction that are easily disassembled and recycled, and potentially for swarm robotics, where small robots can entangle and disentangle to perform tasks.

Story chain

3 events in this thread
  1. Currently Reading1h 36m ago
    Researchers at the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder have found that a tightly compressed bundle of office staples can surprisingly shift from strong to fragile instantly, inspiring a new generation of engineered materials.
  2. Health & Science1h 36m ago
    Researchers at CU Boulder believe an unusual combination of strength and reversibility, inspired by stapled bundles, could help inspire a new generation of engineered materials.
    Open article
  3. Health & Science2h 35m ago
    Researchers have discovered that staple-shaped particles can intertwine to form a material that is both strong and flexible, which can be locked into a sturdy structure or rapidly unraveled using vibrations.
    Open article

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