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Inventor Paul Ericson received two patents (expired) for the use of flex actuated overlapping bistable domes in thin high strength steel, such as 302 stainless steel, to create thin bend and shape digitizing sensors and a pump that pumps when bent. He has also used them to stiffen and shape high strength sheet metal.
OBD based products offer a wide range of unique new applications for artificial intelligence.
Overlapping bistable domes can be used to create very thin structures as little as 3 times the thickness of the original material. OBD structures can't be bent without forcing OBDs to the outside of the curvature.
Rows of OBDs can be included in a flexible circuitry construction and used to digitize the shape and changing shape of the flexible surfaces they parallel. They can be used in arrays to control and 'print' shape in thin high strength materials and may help reduce vehicle weight and global warming. OBDs can also be used to create pumps that pump when bent. OBD pumps are very simple, can be made in a wide range of sizes, and can utilize any motion that bends them.