Research on novel metamorphic mechanisms with initial configuration retention and self-resetting capabilities

Metamorphic mechanisms represent a field with extensive research foundations and significant engineering value, with numerous scholars focusing on kinematic system reconfiguration and joint locking/unlocking. However, few studies focus on the metamorphosis between structures and mechanisms. This paper investigates this aspect and proposes a family of structure-mechanism interchangeable metamorphic mechanisms (SMI-MMs), which can switch between zero-degree-of-freedom (DOF) structures and specific DOF mechanisms under external loading, exhibiting both initial configuration retention and self-resetting capabilities. Starting from two basic single-DOF SMI-MMs, their metamorphic processes and principles are analyzed, from which two configuration synthesis principles are derived. Based on these principles, two synthesis methods—principle-based construction and unit replacement—are proposed to synthesize SMI-MMs with arbitrary DOF. Mathematical modeling of single-DOF SMI-MMs reveals their kinematic and mechanical characteristics. Finally, two application scenarios demonstrate the engineering potential of SMI-MMs and verify that the proposed research can provide theoretical guidance and technical support for mechanism design across related fields.