Origami state machine with time-varying magnetic fields.

Magnetic origami state machines deterministically navigate modular Kresling assemblies from any unknown initial state to any target state, using a rotating field for a universal reset and pulsed inputs for programming.

• Why it matters: Reliable remote control of multiple stable states is hard because modules couple and transitions depend on prior history.
• What they did: Assuming mutually distinct energy barriers in modular Kresling origami, the authors realize fully accessible transition graphs, then use a rotating magnetic field for autonomous reset and prescribed pulsed sequences for target-state transitions.
• The result: A reduced-order Lagrangian model predicts snap-through dynamics across reset, graph-node steps, and inertia-driven multicell shortcuts, enabling autonomous state reset without sensing or feedback and full state-space control.

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