Multifunctional Flipping-Based Mechanical Metasurface Enabling Optical-Microwave Dual-Modal Reconfigurability.

Abstract

Dynamically and energy-efficient control of electromagnetic (EM) waves is highly desirable for next-generation wireless communication and sensing. However, most existing intelligent metasurfaces rely on power-hungry electronic circuits and complex fabrication, limiting their scalability, and deployment. Here we introduce MetaScreen, a mechanically reconfigurable metasurface that exploits a unique flipping mechanism to alternate between meta-atoms with distinct EM responses and visual colors, thereby enabling simultaneous wavefront manipulation and optical display. Each bistable flip element integrates a permanent magnet and is actuated by a microcontroller-driven magnetic-control module to convert a short electrical pulse into rapid and nonvolatile mechanical switching. This design achieves low-power and stable EM wave manipulation and endows the metasurface with intrinsic visual programmability through color-coded coatings on the meta-atom surfaces, thus supporting microwave wavefront control and visible information display in the same platform. Dynamic beam steering for wireless communication, adaptive EM wave focusing for contactless respiration monitoring, bidirectional human-machine interaction, and microwave holography are demonstrated, highlighting the versatile EM manipulation and multi-domain programmability of the platform. Owing to its energy efficiency, low cost, and long-term stability, MetaScreen offers a practical route toward sustainable and scalable applications in wireless communication, smart internet of things (IoT), and optical-EM camouflage.