Multifunctional flipping-based mechanical metasurface enabling optical-microwave dual-modal reconfigurability

Multifunctional flipping-based mechanical metasurface enabling optical-microwave dual-modal reconfigurability | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Multifunctional flipping-based mechanical metasurface enabling optical-microwave dual-modal reconfigurability Jian Wei You, Siqi Huang, Zi Xuan Cai, Xinyu Li, Long Chen, Jie Xu, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640194/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version 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 non-volatile 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, conferring dual-modal reconfigurability and information delivery in both microwave and visible regimes. Dynamic beam steering for wireless communication, adaptive beam 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 towards sustainable and scalable applications in wireless communication, smart internet of things (IoT), and optical-EM camouflage. Physical sciences/Engineering/Electrical and electronic engineering Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical materials and structures/Metamaterials Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for optics/Metamaterials Mechanically programmable metasurface dual-modal reconfigurability multimodal information delivery bidirectional human-machine interaction Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Introduction Programmable metasurfaces have emerged as transformative platforms to reconfigure electromagnetic (EM) fields, underpinning future applications in wireless communication, sensing, and intelligent environments 1 – 13 . A variety of reconfigurable mechanisms have been explored to achieve tunability, such as phase-changing materials, optically, electrically, and mechanically tunable structure 14 – 23 . Among these, electrically tunable metasurfaces based on PIN diodes and varactors have attracted particular attention for real-time wavefront modulation, owing to their compact integration, sub-millisecond response, and compatibility with existing communications infrastructures 24 – 28 . These characteristics position them as a promising alternative to conventional multi-antenna and relaying technologies, with envisioned applications in intelligent transportation systems, Internet of Things (IoT), and wireless power transfer 29 – 32 . Despite these impressive advances, electrically reconfigurable metasurfaces suffer from inherent limitations: Their volatile tuning necessitates continuous power consumption, leading to elevated thermal loads and spectral drift, while reliance on field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based controllers and complex fabrication processes hampers scalability and increases fabrication cost. Moreover, the tuning states and functional configurations are typically invisible during operation, and fault diagnosis of defective elements often requires complex procedures 33 – 35 . These challenges have sparked growing interest in alternative reconfiguration strategies that combine non-volatile, robust reconfigurability with reduced energy demand and simplified system integration. Mechanically reconfigurable metasurfaces, which convert external mechanical stimuli into tunable EM responses via structural deformation 36 – 41 , have attracted significant interest from researchers in a wide range of fields. Owing to eliminating active components such as PIN diodes or varactors, mechanical reconfiguration offers a fundamentally energy-efficient, non-volatility approach to dynamic wavefront control. Various tuning strategies have been explored such as microelectromechanical (MEM) system 21 , 42 , microfluidics 43 , mechanically stretchable 44 and kirigami/origami-based metasurfaces 45 , 46 . However, these techniques maintain several challenges unaddressed. Most existing platforms offer insufficient wavefront control capability and limited system robust 46 . Moreover, the lack of large-scale, multifunctional implementation has hindered the deployment in practical scenarios. Therefore, developing a mechanically reconfigurable metasurface system that combines scalability, multifunctionality, broad applicability, robustness and precise wave control is highly desired. In this article, we present MetaScreen, a multifunctional, mechanically reconfigurable metasurface composed of an array of bistable flip elements. Each element integrates two elaborate meta-atoms for EM wave manipulation together with a centrally embedded magnet. A brief electrical pulse activates the magnetic-control module positioned behind the PEC base, converting electrical energy into non-volatile, low-power mechanical modulation. By applying color-specific coatings to the meta-atom surfaces, the same mechanism extends extending reconfigurability from microwave wavefront manipulation to macroscopic appearance modulation. Building on this mechanism, MetaScreen unifies EM and optical functionalities within a single platform, providing dual-modal reconfigurability: programmable EM wavefront control in the microwave regime and visual information delivery in the optical regime. With an integrated visual sensing module, MetaScreen further responds to environmental stimuli, supporting bidirectional human-machine interaction. Moreover, the mechanical architecture ensures that each element can be individually addressed, replaced, or reconfigured without affecting the rest of the array, providing exceptional robustness and long-term operational stability. Importantly, because power is only consumed during state transitions, the system achieves inherently low-power performance suitable for sustainable, large-scale, and long-duration deployments. As proof of concept, we experimentally demonstrate beamforming, dynamic EM focusing, and microwave holograph, validating the advanced EM wavefront control abilities of the platform. Simultaneously, programmable optical patterns illustrate visual communication and interactive potential. By combining powerful, energy-efficient wavefront manipulation with unique optical functionality, MetaScreen substantially broadens the functionality and application scope of intelligent metasurfaces, unlocking opportunities in smart architecture, adaptive sensing, as well as IoT, wireless communication, and optical-EM camouflage. Results Framework of MetaScreen To illustrate the concept and multifunctionality of the MetaScreen, Fig. 1 presents a schematic diagram highlighting the basic optical reconfigurability and EM control capability alongside the corresponding applications. The multifunctional system comprises an array of mechanically bistable flip elements, a visual sensing module, a microcontroller (MCU) for addressing and actuation, and a host computer for generating and managing coding patterns, collectively enabling dual-modal reconfigurability across both optical and EM regimes. Each flip element is mounted on a rectangular PEC base and laminated with two meta-atoms designed for producing distinct EM responses. Each surface is overlaid with a color-specific optical coating, so that mechanical flipping simultaneously toggles the microwave scattering behavior and the visible appearance, coupling optical display to microwave functionality. Reconfiguration is achieved through an integrated MCU-driven magnetic-control module, in which brief electrical pulses from the MCU directly convert electrical energy into the rapid mechanical flipping of a magnetized element. This approach enables energy-efficient, non-volatile state switching, with reconfiguration times as short as \(\:50\:\text{m}\text{s}\) . Moreover, all flip elements are independently addressable and physically replaceable, combining precise control with exceptional system robustness. Localized malfunction of the elements does not compromise the rest of the array, and defective elements can be visually identified and replaced without disassembling the entire system, facilitating rapid fault diagnosis and ensuring long-term operational stability. Mechanically actuated flipping confers dual-modal reconfigurability. In the visual optical domain, the MetaScreen forms reconfigurable high-contrast patterns for visual communication, while in the microwave domain, the system still supports beam steering, dynamic EM wave focusing, and near-field holography. When integrated with the visual sensing module to realize the real-time detection, localization, and posture estimation, the platform can further achieve the bidirectional human-machine interaction and multimodal information delivery. Design and applications of MetaScreen The platform comprises an array of bistable mechanically flip elements, each integrating two meta-atoms engineered for producing distinct EM responses. The two surfaces of the elements are coated with color-specific coating (white for Code-1 and black for Code-0), ensuring that a single flip simultaneously reconfigures the microwave scattering state and the optical appearance. As shown in Fig. 2 a, each flip element features a multilayered architecture with a centrally embedded magnet, which cooperates with the magnetic-control module to enable rapid, power-on switching between two functional states. The structural details of the meta-atoms are provided in Supplementary Fig. S1 . The mechanical reconfiguration process of the MetaScreen is depicted in Fig. 2 b, where the state of each flip element can be individually addressed by modulating the current supplied to the corresponding magnetic-control module. This mechanism allows for programmable, reversible reconfiguration across the entire MetaScreen. We further experimentally validate the EM performance of the platform through measuring its microwave reflection coefficient, as shown in Fig. 2 c. For this proof-of-concept demonstration, a small-scale prototype containing \(\:14\times\:16\) meta-atoms is fabricated. It could be observed that the two states exhibit a reflection phase difference of approximately \(\:{180}^{\circ\:}\) , while maintaining high reflection amplitudes across the operational band. Measurements reveal a stable response from 5.35 to 5.45 GHz, encompassing representative communication and sensing frequencies. The complete measurement configuration and experimental conditions are detailed in Supplementary Fig. S1 . Unlike conventional electronic modulators or mechanically tunable metasurfaces, the MetaScreen integrates optical display functionality by leveraging color-specific coatings. By assigning specific coding patterns, the system is capable of producing high-resolution outputs in the optical regime. As illustrated in Fig. 2 d, we demonstrate this functionality by encoding the readable text pattern “META screen”, which operates as an interactive visual display. The platform exhibits precise mechanical control across the entire array, enabling diverse visual patterns to be dynamically displayed through straightforward modification of the coding matrix. This vision-based operation introduces a novel mechanism for real-time optical information transmission and underscores the potential of MetaScreen as a multifunctional platform. Moreover, owing to the meta-atoms on opposite sides of the flip element exhibiting distinct EM reflection responses, the MetaScreen can achieve a variety of microwave functionalities (Fig. 2 e). At the initial time step, a periodic binary pattern of “00001111” is programmed (Fig. 2 e, top), enabling beamforming for wireless communication applications. Then, a concentric binary pattern resembling a circular zone plate is encoded (Fig. 2 e, middle), enabling near-field energy focusing for contactless respiratory monitoring. In this configuration, the coding patterns depend on the chest motion detected by the visual sensing module, enabling the real-time, non-invasive monitoring suitable for smart-home and clinical healthcare scenarios. Furthermore, the MetaScreen is also capable of reconstructing holographic images (Fig. 2 e, bottom). Collectively, these demonstrations establish the MetaScreen as a dual-modal reconfigurable platform that seamlessly integrates real-time optical display with reconfigurable microwave wavefront control, highlighting the potential for wireless communication, contactless sensing, bidirectional interaction and multimodal information transmission. MetaScreen for wireless communication and contactless human sensing Two typical EM functions, including wireless communication and contactless human sensing, have been implemented to demonstrate the versatility of MetaScreen in the EM wave manipulation. In the first experiment, MetaScreen is configured as a reconfigurable wireless relay to dynamically control spatial communication channels. The experimental setup is shown in Fig. 3 a, where the MetaScreen is connected with a control computer for both real-time coding pattern switching and synchronization between two software-defined radio (SDR) systems: a WiFi-SDR transmitter and two Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) receiver. A high-gain horn antenna transmitted 16-QAM WiFi signals toward MetaScreen, while four spatially separated horn antennas connected to different USRP receive chains that capture signals at predefined azimuth angles ( \(\:0^\circ\:\) , \(\:15^\circ\:\) , \(\:30^\circ\:\) , and \(\:45^\circ\:\) ). By mechanically flipping elements to change the binary coding pattern, MetaScreen performed dynamic beamforming, directing the incident signal toward a specific receiver while effectively suppressing all other channels (Fig. 3 b). The applied coding matrix and the corresponding 2D far-field pattern are presented in Fig. 3 c, with further experimental details provided in Supplementary Note 4. Experimental results confirm that the intended receiver at \(\:{30}^{\circ\:}\) achieves error-free 16-QAM transmission, faithfully reconstructing the transmitted image (Fig. 3 d). In contrast, receivers positioned at other angles (e.g., \(\:{45}^{\circ\:}\) ) exhibit severe signal degradation due to intentional phase mismatches (Fig. 3 e), resulting in a serious reduction in signal-to-noise (SNR) relative to the target channel. This angular selectivity enables real-time channel switching among multiple users within \(\:50\:\text{m}\text{s}\) reconfiguration cycles, maintaining low bit-error rates during active transmission. Measured channel response closely matches theoretical predictions, demonstrating the fast, precise, and robust beamforming capabilities of the platform for programmable spatial wireless communication. More experimental results can be found in Supplementary Fig. S6. In the second experiment, we demonstrate the capability of MetaScreen for adaptive, contactless respiration monitoring. The experimental configuration (Fig. 3 f) comprises two high-gain antennas directly connected to a USRP and a WiFi-SDR separately, a wearable respiration sensor (WRS) as the benchmark, and MetaScreen integrated with a visual sensing module. The sensing module incorporates target recognition, localization, and posture detection algorithms (Supplementary Note S8), endowing the system with the ability to identify the thoracic position in real time. An excitation antenna linked to the WiFi-SDR transmits EM waves toward MetaScreen, which dynamically focuses the beam onto the target thoracic region through rapid and precise wavefront manipulation. Breathing-induced chest displacement modulates the focused EM field, which will be subsequently captured by the receiving antenna and routed to the USRP for further processing (Supplementary Note S10). Then vital-sign parameters such as respiration rate can be extracted, enabling non-contact monitoring. By combining precise spatial localization with EM wave focusing, MetaScreen acts as an intelligent EM wave concentrator that adaptively concentrates EM energy on the chest of the target individual. As illustrated in Fig. 3 g (top), the system detects the human target at varying times and positions within the field of view. The coordinates relative to MetaScreen are then computed to generate the corresponding coding sequences in real time (Fig. 3 g, middle), thereby producing the focused EM wave. The measured near-field distributions for each coding pattern are shown in Fig. 3 g (bottom). The real-time reconfigurable EM wave focusing significantly improves the SNR of respiration detection, producing a respiration rate curve that closely tracks the WRS reference throughout 120s recording (Fig. 3 h). The system achieves consistently low respiration rate errors, typically within 2 respiration per minute (RPM), and exhibits stable performance with no noticeable drift over the observation period. Together, these experiments confirm that MetaScreen operates not only as a reconfigurable communication relay, but also as a sensing system for non-invasive physiological monitoring. By integrating adaptive wireless communication with contactless sensing, MetaScreen emerges as a promising platform for future applications in smart-home, healthcare, and ambient intelligence. Event-triggered bidirectional interaction and multimodal information delivery In addition to the advanced EM wavefront control, Metascreen incorporates intelligent optical display capabilities through color-specific coatings on its flip elements. By reconstructing the coding sequence, distinct visual patterns can be formed, thereby extending the functionality of the platform into the visible spectrum. This dual-modal reconfigurability, spanning both EM and optical regimes, enables seamless multimodal information delivery. When combined with a visual sensing module, the platform acquires the ability to perceive environmental information and respond optically and dynamically, thereby establishing a foundation for real-time, bidirectional human-machine interaction. The experimental configuration for the optical information delivery and interactive functions is illustrated in Fig. 4 a. The integrated visual sensing module is responsible for human detection and localization, continuously analyzing the surrounding environment to identify relevant stimuli. Once the environment state is determined, the system triggers the selection of scenario-specific coding patterns. In the absence of a human target, the system enters an “ambient information” mode, rendering real-time clock patterns directly through the optical flip interface (Fig. 4 b), effectively functioning as an environmental information board. Upon detecting a human target, the sensing module captures the target and transmits the processed image to MetaScreen, which mechanically flips its elements to render a silhouette in real time. This event-triggered dynamic display exemplifies the capacity for fundamental bidirectional interaction: Metascreen actively acquires external information through the visual sensing module while simultaneously communicating information back to the environment via direct optical display. To further demonstrate the performance of multimodal operation, the system incorporates a function selection (FS) module (Fig. 4 c) that switches between continuous optical display and reconfigurable EM holography. In optical display mode, the system presents dynamic optical display. Otherwise, the system switches to the reconfigurable microwave holographic mode. In the proof-of-concept experiment (Fig. 4 d), four optical characters (“M,” “E,” “T,” and “A”) are selected as target images, and the Gerchberg-Saxton (GS) algorithm is employed to generate the corresponding coding patterns for the four holographs (Fig. 4 e, top). The measured near-field holographic results (Fig. 4 e, bottom) closely match their optical counterparts, demonstrating the high-fidelity wavefront control and multimodal display capability from the optical to the microwave domain. MetaScreen unifies visible and microwave control within a single hardware platform, functioning simultaneously as an interactive visual terminal and a programmable microwave-holographic interface. This dual-modal reconfigurability not only enables seamless multimodal information delivery in microwave and optical regimes but also realizes the bidirectional interaction between the MetaScreen and environment. By bridging the visible and invisible spectrum, this capability provides a versatile foundation for adaptive communication systems, with far-reaching implications for smart human-machine interfaces, immersive IoT networks, and integrated optical-EM defense technologies. Discussion Mechanically reconfigurable platforms that unify EM wave manipulation with visual information delivery remain largely unexplored. Here, we introduce MetaScreen, a bistable metasurface that bridges programmable microwave wavefront control with optical pattern encoding, unlocking dual-modal reconfigurability for diverse functions. Each flip element incorporates two meta-atoms with distinct EM response, while the corresponding color-specific coating directly maps these states into visible patterns. This dual-function architecture allows precise microwave scattering control alongside multimodal information delivery. Experiments encompassing intelligent spatial wireless communication, contactless respiratory monitoring, event-triggered dynamic display, and microwave holography collectively demonstrate the powerful capability of MetaScreen in wavefront shaping and multimodal information delivery. Collectively, these results demonstrate optical-microwave dual-modal reconfigurability of the Metascreen, offering a scalable, low-power platform for multifunctional smart-surface applications. Compared with the conventional electrically tunable metasurfaces, our platform exhibits decisive advantages. The mechanical flipping mechanism eliminates the need for sustaining bias to preserve the state, ensuring intrinsic non-volatility and low power consumption while suppressing thermal effects during prolonged operation. This makes the platform particularly suitable for large-scale, long-term deployments. Additionally, MetaScreen adopts a modular and independently detachable architecture, whereby each flip element can be rapidly diagnosed and physically replaced without disturbing the surrounding array. This unique feature substantially enhances system robustness and maintainability. Furthermore, the integration of visually encoded coatings with functional meta-atoms extends reconfigurability into both the microwave and visible regimes, enabling adaptive multimodal information delivery that bridges human perception and EM communication. Collectively, these attributes highlight the practical scalability and disruptive potential of the proposed mechanical reconfiguration strategy. In summary, MetaScreen embodies a new paradigm of mechanical reconfigurability that unites non-volatility, energy efficiency, and dual-modal functionality within a scalable and robust architecture. These advances directly overcome the intrinsic bottlenecks of conventional reconfigurable metasurfaces and unlock opportunities for long-term, large-scale, and energy-efficient deployments. We anticipate that the distinctive capabilities of MetaScreen will accelerate advances in sixth generation (6G) wireless networks, IoT, and non-invasive sensing, while also inspiring next-generation platforms that unify microwave–optical camouflage and multimodal communication technologies. Methods Sample design and fabrication The MetsScreen prototype comprises \(\:28\times\:32\) flip elements (lattice constant \(\:a=26\:\text{m}\text{m}\) ), yielding an overall panel size of \(\:832\:\text{m}\text{m}\times\:728\:\text{m}\text{m}\) . Each flip element is realized by multilayer PCB-lamination process and is mounted on a rectangular PEC base. Each flip element adopts a multilayer laminated architecture, consisting of (from top to bottom) a color-specific solder-resist coating, a cross-shaped copper resonator on a dielectric substrate with a metallic backing, plastic support layers with a centrally embedded magnet, and a second metallic backing and dielectric layer carrying the complementary resonator with bottom-side color coating. This arrangement simultaneously provides stable EM performance, mechanical flipping capability, and visible contrast. The resonators are printed on F4B dielectric sheets ( \(\:{{\epsilon\:}}_{\text{r}}\) = 2.65, \(\:\text{t}\text{a}\text{n}{\delta\:}\:=\:0.001\) , \(\:\text{t}\text{h}\text{i}\text{c}\text{k}\text{n}\text{e}\text{s}\text{s}\:=\:0.508\:\text{m}\text{m}\) ) using standard copper metallization. Geometric parameters for the resonators are R = 25.0 mm, L₂ = 18.9 mm, W₂ = 6.4 mm for code-1, and r = 5.0 mm, L₁ = 18.5 mm, W₁ = 6.4 mm for code-0. This laminated construction and material choice provide stable microwave performance, reconfigurable flipping dynamics and straightforward fabrication. Additionally, the color coatings are capable of providing visible contrast for optical display. Detailed layer drawings are provided in Supplementary Fig. S1 . Actuation of each flip element is achieved through a base-mounted magnetic-control module under MCU control (STM32F103). Short current pulses from the MCU energize EM coils wound around a U-shaped magnetizable core (DT4), converting an instantaneous electrical pulse into a transient magnetic field that couples with the permanent magnet embedded in each flip element. The resulting torque induces a repeatable, bistable rotation, flipping the element between its two functional faces. As power is required only during these brief switching progresses (with pulse durations of approximately \(\:\:50\:\text{m}\text{s}\) ), the scheme delivers energy-efficient, power-on actuation while preserving a non-volatile state between transitions. Further details of the magnetic-control module are provided in Supplementary Fig. S3. Numerical simulations EM numerical simulations were performed using CST Microwave Studio 2023. The reflection coefficients ( \(\:{S}_{11}\) ) of the flip element (comprising the rectangular PEC base and two meta-atoms on opposite sides) were numerically simulated with the frequency-domain solver. Simulations were conducted with unit cell boundary conditions in the x-y plane with open-space boundary conditions along the z axis. Meanwhile, the time-domain solver was employed to simulate the beamforming, EM wave focusing and holography functionalities of the MetaScreen, with open boundary conditions in all three axes (x, y, and z). It is noted that the EM performance reported in Fig. 2 was evaluated at an operating frequency of 5.4 GHz. Additional details regarding the model geometry and simulation results are provided in the Supplementary Fig. S2. Measurement setups To validate the multifunctionality of the MetaScreen, four representative experiments were conducted in the article. The wireless communication experiment shown in Fig. 3 a was performed in a large indoor open-space environment. The transmissionchain comprised a linearly polarized broadband horn antenna (GJ-WRDHA-U8/08-N) driven by an open-source WiFi SDR stack (ZedBoard FPGA with an AD9361 RF front end). On the receiving side, four high-gain Vivaldi antennas were deployed at predefined azimuth angles ( \(\:0^\circ\:\) , \(\:15^\circ\:\) , \(\:30^\circ\:\) and \(\:45^\circ\:\) ) and connected to two USRP devices, providing four parallel receive channels for real-time capture and demodulation. The second experiment was conducted in an indoor environment to evaluate the ability of adaptive contactless respiration sensing. The same WiFi SDR and USRP were employed to generate and acquire the sensing waveform at 5.4 GHz. A Vivaldi antenna and a broadband horn antenna were employed: one for transmission to illuminate the MetaScreen that focuses the EM wave onto the human thoracic region, while the another received the field scattered from the human thoracic region. A visual sensing module (Zed 2i Stereo Camera) provided real-time 3D localisation of the chest. The video stream was processed on a control computer to detect human presence, after which the corresponding coding patterns were generated and transmitted to achieve real-time EM wave focusing. The Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) algorithm was employed to extract respiratory signals based on the periodicity of physiological movements. A wearable respiration sensor (HKH-11C) provided ground-truth measurements for accuracy benchmarking. The third experiment involves event-triggered bidirectional interaction, using the same visual sensing module to capture environmental information. The camera can not only determine the position of a person but also perform real-time detection and posture estimation. The holograph experiment employed near-field scanning microwave microscopy (NSMM) to characterize EM wavefront manipulation. The measurement setup consisted of a vector network analyzer (Agilent N5230C) and two phase-stable coaxial cables connected to the analyzer’s ports: one linked to the same high-gain linearly horn antenna served as the excitation source, and the other to a coaxial probe mounted on a movable stage for detecting spatial electric-field distributions. By adjusting the probe’s orientation in the x, y, and z directions, all vector components of the electric field ( \(\:{\text{E}}_{\text{x}},{\text{E}}_{\text{y}},{\text{E}}_{\text{z}}\:\) ) were measured. The probe, positioned \(\:200\:\text{m}\text{m}\) above the sample surface, was mounted on a scanning platform allowing point-by-point measurements across a measuring \(\:900\times\:800\:\text{m}{\text{m}}^{2}\) region to reconstruct the spatial electric-field pattern. Declarations Data Availability The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request. Code Availability The code that supports the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Author contributions S. H. and Z. C. conceived and designed the experiments. J. Y. supervised the project and conceived the idea. S. H., Z.C., X. L., L. C, J. X. and J. L. conducted the experiments, collected and analyzed the data. Q. H. and X. C. and L. C. carried out the simulations, theoretical analyses, and wrote all the code. Q. H. and J. Y. wrote the manuscript, with contributions from all authors. Acknowledgements The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 62288101 and 62301149), Postdoctoral Innovation Talents Support Program (No. BX20230066), National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2023YFB3813100), Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Fund (No. 2023ZB318), Special Fund for Key Basic Research in Jiangsu Province (Nos. BK20243015, BK20230820), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2024M750418). Additional information Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/XXX. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to J. W. You. References Li L , et al. 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Recent Progress in Active Mechanical Metamaterials and Construction Principles. Advanced Science 9 , (2022). Fu YH , et al. A micromachined reconfigurable metamaterial via reconfiguration of asymmetric split‐ring resonators. Advanced Functional Materials 21 , 3589-3594 (2011). Zhu WM , et al. Switchable magnetic metamaterials using micromachining processes. Advanced materials 23 , 1792 (2011). Yin X , et al. Beam switching and bifocal zoom lensing using active plasmonic metasurfaces. Light: Science & Applications 6 , e17016-e17016 (2017). Zhu WM , et al. Microelectromechanical Maltese-cross metamaterial with tunable terahertz anisotropy. Nature Communications 3 , (2012). Rodrigo D , et al. Resolving molecule-specific information in dynamic lipid membrane processes with multi-resonant infrared metasurfaces. Nature Communications 9 , (2018). Kamali SM, Arbabi A, Arbabi E, Horie Y, Faraon A. Decoupling optical function and geometrical form using conformal flexible dielectric metasurfaces. Nature Communications 7 , (2016). Babaee S, Overvelde JTB, Chen ER, Tournat V, Bertoldi K. Reconfigurable origami-inspired acoustic waveguides. Science Advances 2 , (2016). Jiang G , et al. Abnormal beam steering with kirigami reconfigurable metasurfaces. Nature Communications 16 , (2025). Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files MetaScreenSI20250917.docx Supplementary Information For Multifunctional flipping-based mechanical metasurface enabling optical-microwave dual-modal reconfigurability VideoS1.mp4 Supplementary Video1 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7640194","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":516752225,"identity":"52549fa9-11d9-4b94-ab2a-b6ef8cf1839a","order_by":0,"name":"Jian Wei You","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAuUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxgYQWQHhSJCg5QwpWiD62kjRwjwjx/Ax77w6OYMDzAdv8zDY5RG2YEaOsTHvtsPGBgfYkq15GJKLCWvpOWMmzbvtQOKGAzxm0jwMBxIbiNMyp65+wwH+b0Rqae8BamlgTjA4wMNGrJa2YsM5xw4bzjzMZmw5xyCZsBbDZuaND97U1MnzHW9+eONNhR0RWho4DCAsZhBhQEg9EMgzsD8gQtkoGAWjYBSMaAAAEKM29jLciGIAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5761-9507","institution":"State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Wave, Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jian","middleName":"Wei","lastName":"You","suffix":""},{"id":516752226,"identity":"e0e83f93-fc04-4f79-bad2-5af4ed0f1d59","order_by":1,"name":"Siqi Huang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Wave, Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Siqi","middleName":"","lastName":"Huang","suffix":""},{"id":516752227,"identity":"3ffbc3c8-5993-4a50-81d6-fb2f7dbd96f0","order_by":2,"name":"Zi Xuan Cai","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Wave, Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zi","middleName":"Xuan","lastName":"Cai","suffix":""},{"id":516752228,"identity":"328f2583-41ff-495d-88e6-a7ddd6316cb0","order_by":3,"name":"Xinyu Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xinyu","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":516752229,"identity":"7302c5e6-dc3a-44dd-9b35-4b2f4f6ec92e","order_by":4,"name":"Long Chen","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1533-0319","institution":"Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Long","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""},{"id":516752230,"identity":"dcda1150-dedc-4b20-b27f-bb71fb44407a","order_by":5,"name":"Jie Xu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Wave, Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jie","middleName":"","lastName":"Xu","suffix":""},{"id":516752231,"identity":"d85837c9-94dd-4d08-86ec-08c6a77be660","order_by":6,"name":"Jingyi Liang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"southeast university","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jingyi","middleName":"","lastName":"Liang","suffix":""},{"id":516752232,"identity":"5addc62b-6985-4366-bedb-9a769777306e","order_by":7,"name":"Jianghan Bao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"southeast university","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jianghan","middleName":"","lastName":"Bao","suffix":""},{"id":516752233,"identity":"8c9bbb56-257f-413b-b997-e79eb8ae9a2d","order_by":8,"name":"Che Liu","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9917-8487","institution":"Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Che","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-17 12:25:20","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640194/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640194/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":91679339,"identity":"25a28b36-e8ef-4f47-b86a-988d2419ee29","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-19 06:16:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":781755,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConceptual illustration of the mechanically reconfigurable MetaScreen. a \u003c/strong\u003eMetaScreen as a dual-domain platform for the IoT, enabling wireless communication and contactless sensing. \u003cstrong\u003eb\u003c/strong\u003e Mechanism and architecture of the flip elements. Each element integrates two meta-atoms with opposite optical coatings (code-0 and code-1), actuated by a compact MCU-driven magnetic-control module that provides non-volatile reconfiguration. \u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003ec\u003c/strong\u003e Demonstration of dual-modal information delivery achieved by encoding microwave holographs and projecting programmable optical patterns, offering scalable, energy-efficient, and bidirectional reconfigurability.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7640194/v1/41cadf843d8fbfff30b09b66.jpeg"},{"id":91679340,"identity":"2d1902eb-b8c7-42bb-aee4-d26401b6cf54","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-19 06:16:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":2041659,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMechanically reconfigurable MetaScreen enabling multifunctional application. a Structure of a single flip element, consisting of multilayered architecture layer to construct binary coding state with different EM responds (code-0 and code-1) enabled by mechanical flipping. b Programmable MetaScreen composed of an array of reconfigurable meta-atoms with a 26mm lattice period, each individually actuated via a magnetic-control module driven by a single chip microcomputer controller. c Measured reflection amplitude and phase response for the code-0 and code-1 states, the green-shaded areas indicate a neighborhood of the operational frequency (5.4GHz). d Demonstration of MetasScreen-based visual display (Function 1), where pixel patterns can be dynamically reconfigured by mechanical flipping(t=Δt). e Time-sequential functions enabled by programmable MetaScreen: beam steering for wireless communication (Function 2, t=2Δt), EM focusing for non-contact respiratory sensing at (Function 3, t=3Δt), and dynamic holographic display (Function 4, t=4Δt).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7640194/v1/bcf3618861b459ae4c2940f9.jpeg"},{"id":91680365,"identity":"a73c58c3-20f8-474a-b049-4f6e40db1105","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-19 06:24:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":6841459,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMetaScreen-enabled wireless communication and contactless respiration sensing. a Experiment setup for space-division wireless communication using MetaScreen. b Schematic of the communication process: a transmitter located at 45° is redirected by MetaScreen to form a spatial channel at 30°, enabling only receivers positioned near 30° to successfully decode the signal. c Spatial coding pattern of MetaScreen and the corresponding 2D normalized far-field radiation pattern in polar coordinates. d Transmission of a test image from the transmitter at 45° and its recovered image at the 30° receiving position, alongside the measured constellation diagram. e Example of a transmission attempt to a non-targeted receiver at 45°, showing severe image distortion and constellation degradation, indicating spatial selectivity of the channel. f Experimental setup for non-contact vital-sign sensing using MetaScreen-enhanced field focusing. g Real-time field focusing onto targeted human chest positions at three consecutive time intervals (t = Δt,2Δt,3Δt), with corresponding coding patterns and measured electric-field distributions. A visual sensing module tracks target and dynamically updates the coding pattern to maintain focus on the chest region. h Continuous respiration monitoring enabled by MetaScreen-assisted sensing, with comparison to a wearable respiratory sensor (WRS) and corresponding error rate analysis.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7640194/v1/0e1bf2c68e30b4bac35be8c3.jpeg"},{"id":91679350,"identity":"f2f05457-7100-4be6-8dcc-46ab5bb1854e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-19 06:16:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":10239344,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDual-modal MetaScreen for intelligent optical interaction and reconfigurable microwave holography. a Experimental setup for multimodal demonstration, where the MetaScreen functions as a reconfigurable interface bridging optical display and microwave holography. b Event-triggered dynamic display: in the absence of human target, the MetsScreen presents a real-time clock; upon detection, it switches to a silhouette rendering of the individual and reverts to the clock when the person leaves. c Control-flow diagram of mode selectoin: the system first detects in function selection (FS) mode; upon this mode, MetaScreen performs continuous optical display (e.g., real-time person silhouette). Otherwise, the system generates programmable microwave holography. d Optical rendering of the alphanumeric characters “M”, “E”, “T”, and “A”. e Corresponding 1-bit coding patterns for microwave holography (top), and the experimentally near-field results (bottom), demonstrating direct optical-to-microwave information delivery within the same physical platform.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7640194/v1/ded02644413a18304b0469b3.jpeg"},{"id":99817056,"identity":"fb43a345-17e4-48bf-a68b-e4a109d4c2c7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 14:48:35","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":13237206,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7640194/v1/08d90bc3-f48f-4f6f-a86f-18ceb562c10f.pdf"},{"id":91679348,"identity":"95beae69-2a6d-4851-8519-359c04d2ec1b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-19 06:16:03","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":2919436,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Supplementary Information For Multifunctional flipping-based mechanical metasurface enabling optical-microwave dual-modal reconfigurability","description":"","filename":"MetaScreenSI20250917.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7640194/v1/47391472a4a67b99b489f60f.docx"},{"id":91679354,"identity":"8524a4c5-dbc8-42ba-adb0-46995a0cb233","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-19 06:16:04","extension":"mp4","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":53968559,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Supplementary Video1","description":"","filename":"VideoS1.mp4","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7640194/v1/3f049abb8ce17badd7210222.mp4"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Multifunctional flipping-based mechanical metasurface enabling optical-microwave dual-modal reconfigurability","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eProgrammable metasurfaces have emerged as transformative platforms to reconfigure electromagnetic (EM) fields, underpinning future applications in wireless communication, sensing, and intelligent environments\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR2 CR3 CR4 CR5 CR6 CR7 CR8 CR9 CR10 CR11 CR12\" citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. A variety of reconfigurable mechanisms have been explored to achieve tunability, such as phase-changing materials, optically, electrically, and mechanically tunable structure\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR15 CR16 CR17 CR18 CR19 CR20 CR21 CR22\" citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Among these, electrically tunable metasurfaces based on PIN diodes and varactors have attracted particular attention for real-time wavefront modulation, owing to their compact integration, sub-millisecond response, and compatibility with existing communications infrastructures\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR25 CR26 CR27\" citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. These characteristics position them as a promising alternative to conventional multi-antenna and relaying technologies, with envisioned applications in intelligent transportation systems, Internet of Things (IoT), and wireless power transfer\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR30 CR31\" citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Despite these impressive advances, electrically reconfigurable metasurfaces suffer from inherent limitations: Their volatile tuning necessitates continuous power consumption, leading to elevated thermal loads and spectral drift, while reliance on field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based controllers and complex fabrication processes hampers scalability and increases fabrication cost. Moreover, the tuning states and functional configurations are typically invisible during operation, and fault diagnosis of defective elements often requires complex procedures\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR34\" citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. These challenges have sparked growing interest in alternative reconfiguration strategies that combine non-volatile, robust reconfigurability with reduced energy demand and simplified system integration.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMechanically reconfigurable metasurfaces, which convert external mechanical stimuli into tunable EM responses via structural deformation\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR37 CR38 CR39 CR40\" citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, have attracted significant interest from researchers in a wide range of fields. Owing to eliminating active components such as PIN diodes or varactors, mechanical reconfiguration offers a fundamentally energy-efficient, non-volatility approach to dynamic wavefront control. Various tuning strategies have been explored such as microelectromechanical (MEM) system\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, microfluidics\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, mechanically stretchable\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e and kirigami/origami-based metasurfaces\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. However, these techniques maintain several challenges unaddressed. Most existing platforms offer insufficient wavefront control capability and limited system robust\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Moreover, the lack of large-scale, multifunctional implementation has hindered the deployment in practical scenarios. Therefore, developing a mechanically reconfigurable metasurface system that combines scalability, multifunctionality, broad applicability, robustness and precise wave control is highly desired.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this article, we present MetaScreen, a multifunctional, mechanically reconfigurable metasurface composed of an array of bistable flip elements. Each element integrates two elaborate meta-atoms for EM wave manipulation together with a centrally embedded magnet. A brief electrical pulse activates the magnetic-control module positioned behind the PEC base, converting electrical energy into non-volatile, low-power mechanical modulation. By applying color-specific coatings to the meta-atom surfaces, the same mechanism extends extending reconfigurability from microwave wavefront manipulation to macroscopic appearance modulation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuilding on this mechanism, MetaScreen unifies EM and optical functionalities within a single platform, providing dual-modal reconfigurability: programmable EM wavefront control in the microwave regime and visual information delivery in the optical regime. With an integrated visual sensing module, MetaScreen further responds to environmental stimuli, supporting bidirectional human-machine interaction. Moreover, the mechanical architecture ensures that each element can be individually addressed, replaced, or reconfigured without affecting the rest of the array, providing exceptional robustness and long-term operational stability. Importantly, because power is only consumed during state transitions, the system achieves inherently low-power performance suitable for sustainable, large-scale, and long-duration deployments. As proof of concept, we experimentally demonstrate beamforming, dynamic EM focusing, and microwave holograph, validating the advanced EM wavefront control abilities of the platform. Simultaneously, programmable optical patterns illustrate visual communication and interactive potential. By combining powerful, energy-efficient wavefront manipulation with unique optical functionality, MetaScreen substantially broadens the functionality and application scope of intelligent metasurfaces, unlocking opportunities in smart architecture, adaptive sensing, as well as IoT, wireless communication, and optical-EM camouflage.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFramework of MetaScreen\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo illustrate the concept and multifunctionality of the MetaScreen, Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e presents a schematic diagram highlighting the basic optical reconfigurability and EM control capability alongside the corresponding applications. The multifunctional system comprises an array of mechanically bistable flip elements, a visual sensing module, a microcontroller (MCU) for addressing and actuation, and a host computer for generating and managing coding patterns, collectively enabling dual-modal reconfigurability across both optical and EM regimes. Each flip element is mounted on a rectangular PEC base and laminated with two meta-atoms designed for producing distinct EM responses. Each surface is overlaid with a color-specific optical coating, so that mechanical flipping simultaneously toggles the microwave scattering behavior and the visible appearance, coupling optical display to microwave functionality. Reconfiguration is achieved through an integrated MCU-driven magnetic-control module, in which brief electrical pulses from the MCU directly convert electrical energy into the rapid mechanical flipping of a magnetized element. This approach enables energy-efficient, non-volatile state switching, with reconfiguration times as short as \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:50\\:\\text{m}\\text{s}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e. Moreover, all flip elements are independently addressable and physically replaceable, combining precise control with exceptional system robustness. Localized malfunction of the elements does not compromise the rest of the array, and defective elements can be visually identified and replaced without disassembling the entire system, facilitating rapid fault diagnosis and ensuring long-term operational stability.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMechanically actuated flipping confers dual-modal reconfigurability. In the visual optical domain, the MetaScreen forms reconfigurable high-contrast patterns for visual communication, while in the microwave domain, the system still supports beam steering, dynamic EM wave focusing, and near-field holography. When integrated with the visual sensing module to realize the real-time detection, localization, and posture estimation, the platform can further achieve the bidirectional human-machine interaction and multimodal information delivery.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDesign and applications of MetaScreen\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe platform comprises an array of bistable mechanically flip elements, each integrating two meta-atoms engineered for producing distinct EM responses. The two surfaces of the elements are coated with color-specific coating (white for Code-1 and black for Code-0), ensuring that a single flip simultaneously reconfigures the microwave scattering state and the optical appearance. As shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ea, each flip element features a multilayered architecture with a centrally embedded magnet, which cooperates with the magnetic-control module to enable rapid, power-on switching between two functional states. The structural details of the meta-atoms are provided in Supplementary Fig. \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS1\u003c/span\u003e. The mechanical reconfiguration process of the MetaScreen is depicted in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eb, where the state of each flip element can be individually addressed by modulating the current supplied to the corresponding magnetic-control module. This mechanism allows for programmable, reversible reconfiguration across the entire MetaScreen.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe further experimentally validate the EM performance of the platform through measuring its microwave reflection coefficient, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ec. For this proof-of-concept demonstration, a small-scale prototype containing \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:14\\times\\:16\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e meta-atoms is fabricated. It could be observed that the two states exhibit a reflection phase difference of approximately \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{180}^{\\circ\\:}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, while maintaining high reflection amplitudes across the operational band. Measurements reveal a stable response from 5.35 to 5.45 GHz, encompassing representative communication and sensing frequencies. The complete measurement configuration and experimental conditions are detailed in Supplementary Fig. \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnlike conventional electronic modulators or mechanically tunable metasurfaces, the MetaScreen integrates optical display functionality by leveraging color-specific coatings. By assigning specific coding patterns, the system is capable of producing high-resolution outputs in the optical regime. As illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ed, we demonstrate this functionality by encoding the readable text pattern \u0026ldquo;META screen\u0026rdquo;, which operates as an interactive visual display. The platform exhibits precise mechanical control across the entire array, enabling diverse visual patterns to be dynamically displayed through straightforward modification of the coding matrix. This vision-based operation introduces a novel mechanism for real-time optical information transmission and underscores the potential of MetaScreen as a multifunctional platform.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoreover, owing to the meta-atoms on opposite sides of the flip element exhibiting distinct EM reflection responses, the MetaScreen can achieve a variety of microwave functionalities (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ee). At the initial time step, a periodic binary pattern of \u0026ldquo;00001111\u0026rdquo; is programmed (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ee, top), enabling beamforming for wireless communication applications. Then, a concentric binary pattern resembling a circular zone plate is encoded (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ee, middle), enabling near-field energy focusing for contactless respiratory monitoring. In this configuration, the coding patterns depend on the chest motion detected by the visual sensing module, enabling the real-time, non-invasive monitoring suitable for smart-home and clinical healthcare scenarios. Furthermore, the MetaScreen is also capable of reconstructing holographic images (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ee, bottom). Collectively, these demonstrations establish the MetaScreen as a dual-modal reconfigurable platform that seamlessly integrates real-time optical display with reconfigurable microwave wavefront control, highlighting the potential for wireless communication, contactless sensing, bidirectional interaction and multimodal information transmission.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMetaScreen for wireless communication and contactless human sensing\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo typical EM functions, including wireless communication and contactless human sensing, have been implemented to demonstrate the versatility of MetaScreen in the EM wave manipulation. In the first experiment, MetaScreen is configured as a reconfigurable wireless relay to dynamically control spatial communication channels. The experimental setup is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003ea, where the MetaScreen is connected with a control computer for both real-time coding pattern switching and synchronization between two software-defined radio (SDR) systems: a WiFi-SDR transmitter and two Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) receiver. A high-gain horn antenna transmitted 16-QAM WiFi signals toward MetaScreen, while four spatially separated horn antennas connected to different USRP receive chains that capture signals at predefined azimuth angles (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:0^\\circ\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:15^\\circ\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:30^\\circ\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, and \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:45^\\circ\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e). By mechanically flipping elements to change the binary coding pattern, MetaScreen performed dynamic beamforming, directing the incident signal toward a specific receiver while effectively suppressing all other channels (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eb). The applied coding matrix and the corresponding 2D far-field pattern are presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003ec, with further experimental details provided in Supplementary Note 4.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExperimental results confirm that the intended receiver at \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{30}^{\\circ\\:}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003eachieves error-free 16-QAM transmission, faithfully reconstructing the transmitted image (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003ed). In contrast, receivers positioned at other angles (e.g., \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{45}^{\\circ\\:}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) exhibit severe signal degradation due to intentional phase mismatches (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003ee), resulting in a serious reduction in signal-to-noise (SNR) relative to the target channel. This angular selectivity enables real-time channel switching among multiple users within \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:50\\:\\text{m}\\text{s}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e reconfiguration cycles, maintaining low bit-error rates during active transmission. Measured channel response closely matches theoretical predictions, demonstrating the fast, precise, and robust beamforming capabilities of the platform for programmable spatial wireless communication. More experimental results can be found in Supplementary Fig. S6.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the second experiment, we demonstrate the capability of MetaScreen for adaptive, contactless respiration monitoring. The experimental configuration (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003ef) comprises two high-gain antennas directly connected to a USRP and a WiFi-SDR separately, a wearable respiration sensor (WRS) as the benchmark, and MetaScreen integrated with a visual sensing module. The sensing module incorporates target recognition, localization, and posture detection algorithms (Supplementary Note S8), endowing the system with the ability to identify the thoracic position in real time. An excitation antenna linked to the WiFi-SDR transmits EM waves toward MetaScreen, which dynamically focuses the beam onto the target thoracic region through rapid and precise wavefront manipulation. Breathing-induced chest displacement modulates the focused EM field, which will be subsequently captured by the receiving antenna and routed to the USRP for further processing (Supplementary Note S10). Then vital-sign parameters such as respiration rate can be extracted, enabling non-contact monitoring.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy combining precise spatial localization with EM wave focusing, MetaScreen acts as an intelligent EM wave concentrator that adaptively concentrates EM energy on the chest of the target individual. As illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eg (top), the system detects the human target at varying times and positions within the field of view. The coordinates relative to MetaScreen are then computed to generate the corresponding coding sequences in real time (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eg, middle), thereby producing the focused EM wave. The measured near-field distributions for each coding pattern are shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eg (bottom). The real-time reconfigurable EM wave focusing significantly improves the SNR of respiration detection, producing a respiration rate curve that closely tracks the WRS reference throughout 120s recording (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eh). The system achieves consistently low respiration rate errors, typically within 2 respiration per minute (RPM), and exhibits stable performance with no noticeable drift over the observation period.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogether, these experiments confirm that MetaScreen operates not only as a reconfigurable communication relay, but also as a sensing system for non-invasive physiological monitoring. By integrating adaptive wireless communication with contactless sensing, MetaScreen emerges as a promising platform for future applications in smart-home, healthcare, and ambient intelligence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eEvent-triggered bidirectional interaction and multimodal information delivery\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the advanced EM wavefront control, Metascreen incorporates intelligent optical display capabilities through color-specific coatings on its flip elements. By reconstructing the coding sequence, distinct visual patterns can be formed, thereby extending the functionality of the platform into the visible spectrum. This dual-modal reconfigurability, spanning both EM and optical regimes, enables seamless multimodal information delivery. When combined with a visual sensing module, the platform acquires the ability to perceive environmental information and respond optically and dynamically, thereby establishing a foundation for real-time, bidirectional human-machine interaction.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe experimental configuration for the optical information delivery and interactive functions is illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ea. The integrated visual sensing module is responsible for human detection and localization, continuously analyzing the surrounding environment to identify relevant stimuli. Once the environment state is determined, the system triggers the selection of scenario-specific coding patterns. In the absence of a human target, the system enters an \u0026ldquo;ambient information\u0026rdquo; mode, rendering real-time clock patterns directly through the optical flip interface (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eb), effectively functioning as an environmental information board. Upon detecting a human target, the sensing module captures the target and transmits the processed image to MetaScreen, which mechanically flips its elements to render a silhouette in real time. This event-triggered dynamic display exemplifies the capacity for fundamental bidirectional interaction: Metascreen actively acquires external information through the visual sensing module while simultaneously communicating information back to the environment via direct optical display.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo further demonstrate the performance of multimodal operation, the system incorporates a function selection (FS) module (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ec) that switches between continuous optical display and reconfigurable EM holography. In optical display mode, the system presents dynamic optical display. Otherwise, the system switches to the reconfigurable microwave holographic mode. In the proof-of-concept experiment (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ed), four optical characters (\u0026ldquo;M,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;E,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;T,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;A\u0026rdquo;) are selected as target images, and the Gerchberg-Saxton (GS) algorithm is employed to generate the corresponding coding patterns for the four holographs (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ee, top). The measured near-field holographic results (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ee, bottom) closely match their optical counterparts, demonstrating the high-fidelity wavefront control and multimodal display capability from the optical to the microwave domain.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMetaScreen unifies visible and microwave control within a single hardware platform, functioning simultaneously as an interactive visual terminal and a programmable microwave-holographic interface. This dual-modal reconfigurability not only enables seamless multimodal information delivery in microwave and optical regimes but also realizes the bidirectional interaction between the MetaScreen and environment. By bridging the visible and invisible spectrum, this capability provides a versatile foundation for adaptive communication systems, with far-reaching implications for smart human-machine interfaces, immersive IoT networks, and integrated optical-EM defense technologies.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eMechanically reconfigurable platforms that unify EM wave manipulation with visual information delivery remain largely unexplored. Here, we introduce MetaScreen, a bistable metasurface that bridges programmable microwave wavefront control with optical pattern encoding, unlocking dual-modal reconfigurability for diverse functions. Each flip element incorporates two meta-atoms with distinct EM response, while the corresponding color-specific coating directly maps these states into visible patterns. This dual-function architecture allows precise microwave scattering control alongside multimodal information delivery. Experiments encompassing intelligent spatial wireless communication, contactless respiratory monitoring, event-triggered dynamic display, and microwave holography collectively demonstrate the powerful capability of MetaScreen in wavefront shaping and multimodal information delivery. Collectively, these results demonstrate optical-microwave dual-modal reconfigurability of the Metascreen, offering a scalable, low-power platform for multifunctional smart-surface applications.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCompared with the conventional electrically tunable metasurfaces, our platform exhibits decisive advantages. The mechanical flipping mechanism eliminates the need for sustaining bias to preserve the state, ensuring intrinsic non-volatility and low power consumption while suppressing thermal effects during prolonged operation. This makes the platform particularly suitable for large-scale, long-term deployments. Additionally, MetaScreen adopts a modular and independently detachable architecture, whereby each flip element can be rapidly diagnosed and physically replaced without disturbing the surrounding array. This unique feature substantially enhances system robustness and maintainability. Furthermore, the integration of visually encoded coatings with functional meta-atoms extends reconfigurability into both the microwave and visible regimes, enabling adaptive multimodal information delivery that bridges human perception and EM communication. Collectively, these attributes highlight the practical scalability and disruptive potential of the proposed mechanical reconfiguration strategy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn summary, MetaScreen embodies a new paradigm of mechanical reconfigurability that unites non-volatility, energy efficiency, and dual-modal functionality within a scalable and robust architecture. These advances directly overcome the intrinsic bottlenecks of conventional reconfigurable metasurfaces and unlock opportunities for long-term, large-scale, and energy-efficient deployments. We anticipate that the distinctive capabilities of MetaScreen will accelerate advances in sixth generation (6G) wireless networks, IoT, and non-invasive sensing, while also inspiring next-generation platforms that unify microwave–optical camouflage and multimodal communication technologies.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003ch2\u003eSample design and fabrication\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe MetsScreen prototype comprises \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:28\\times\\:32\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e flip elements (lattice constant \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:a=26\\:\\text{m}\\text{m}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e), yielding an overall panel size of \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:832\\:\\text{m}\\text{m}\\times\\:728\\:\\text{m}\\text{m}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e. Each flip element is realized by multilayer PCB-lamination process and is mounted on a rectangular PEC base. Each flip element adopts a multilayer laminated architecture, consisting of (from top to bottom) a color-specific solder-resist coating, a cross-shaped copper resonator on a dielectric substrate with a metallic backing, plastic support layers with a centrally embedded magnet, and a second metallic backing and dielectric layer carrying the complementary resonator with bottom-side color coating. This arrangement simultaneously provides stable EM performance, mechanical flipping capability, and visible contrast. The resonators are printed on F4B dielectric sheets (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{{\\epsilon\\:}}_{\\text{r}}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e = 2.65, \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\text{t}\\text{a}\\text{n}{\\delta\\:}\\:=\\:0.001\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\text{t}\\text{h}\\text{i}\\text{c}\\text{k}\\text{n}\\text{e}\\text{s}\\text{s}\\:=\\:0.508\\:\\text{m}\\text{m}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) using standard copper metallization. Geometric parameters for the resonators are R = 25.0 mm, L₂ = 18.9 mm, W₂ = 6.4 mm for code-1, and r = 5.0 mm, L₁ = 18.5 mm, W₁ = 6.4 mm for code-0. This laminated construction and material choice provide stable microwave performance, reconfigurable flipping dynamics and straightforward fabrication. Additionally, the color coatings are capable of providing visible contrast for optical display. Detailed layer drawings are provided in Supplementary Fig. \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eActuation of each flip element is achieved through a base-mounted magnetic-control module under MCU control (STM32F103). Short current pulses from the MCU energize EM coils wound around a U-shaped magnetizable core (DT4), converting an instantaneous electrical pulse into a transient magnetic field that couples with the permanent magnet embedded in each flip element. The resulting torque induces a repeatable, bistable rotation, flipping the element between its two functional faces. As power is required only during these brief switching progresses (with pulse durations of approximately\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\:50\\:\\text{m}\\text{s}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e), the scheme delivers energy-efficient, power-on actuation while preserving a non-volatile state between transitions. Further details of the magnetic-control module are provided in Supplementary Fig. S3.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eNumerical simulations\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEM numerical simulations were performed using CST Microwave Studio 2023. The reflection coefficients (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{S}_{11}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) of the flip element (comprising the rectangular PEC base and two meta-atoms on opposite sides) were numerically simulated with the frequency-domain solver. Simulations were conducted with unit cell boundary conditions in the x-y plane with open-space boundary conditions along the z axis. Meanwhile, the time-domain solver was employed to simulate the beamforming, EM wave focusing and holography functionalities of the MetaScreen, with open boundary conditions in all three axes (x, y, and z). It is noted that the EM performance reported in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e was evaluated at an operating frequency of 5.4 GHz. Additional details regarding the model geometry and simulation results are provided in the Supplementary Fig. S2.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMeasurement setups\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo validate the multifunctionality of the MetaScreen, four representative experiments were conducted in the article. The wireless communication experiment shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003ea was performed in a large indoor open-space environment. The transmissionchain comprised a linearly polarized broadband horn antenna (GJ-WRDHA-U8/08-N) driven by an open-source WiFi SDR stack (ZedBoard FPGA with an AD9361 RF front end). On the receiving side, four high-gain Vivaldi antennas were deployed at predefined azimuth angles (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:0^\\circ\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:15^\\circ\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:30^\\circ\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:45^\\circ\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) and connected to two USRP devices, providing four parallel receive channels for real-time capture and demodulation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe second experiment was conducted in an indoor environment to evaluate the ability of adaptive contactless respiration sensing. The same WiFi SDR and USRP were employed to generate and acquire the sensing waveform at 5.4 GHz. A Vivaldi antenna and a broadband horn antenna were employed: one for transmission to illuminate the MetaScreen that focuses the EM wave onto the human thoracic region, while the another received the field scattered from the human thoracic region. A visual sensing module (Zed 2i Stereo Camera) provided real-time 3D localisation of the chest. The video stream was processed on a control computer to detect human presence, after which the corresponding coding patterns were generated and transmitted to achieve real-time EM wave focusing. The Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) algorithm was employed to extract respiratory signals based on the periodicity of physiological movements. A wearable respiration sensor (HKH-11C) provided ground-truth measurements for accuracy benchmarking.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe third experiment involves event-triggered bidirectional interaction, using the same visual sensing module to capture environmental information. The camera can not only determine the position of a person but also perform real-time detection and posture estimation. The holograph experiment employed near-field scanning microwave microscopy (NSMM) to characterize EM wavefront manipulation. The measurement setup consisted of a vector network analyzer (Agilent N5230C) and two phase-stable coaxial cables connected to the analyzer’s ports: one linked to the same high-gain linearly horn antenna served as the excitation source, and the other to a coaxial probe mounted on a movable stage for detecting spatial electric-field distributions. By adjusting the probe’s orientation in the x, y, and z directions, all vector components of the electric field (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:{\\text{E}}_{\\text{x}},{\\text{E}}_{\\text{y}},{\\text{E}}_{\\text{z}}\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) were measured. The probe, positioned \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:200\\:\\text{m}\\text{m}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e above the sample surface, was mounted on a scanning platform allowing point-by-point measurements across a measuring \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:900\\times\\:800\\:\\text{m}{\\text{m}}^{2}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e region to reconstruct the spatial electric-field pattern.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCode Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe code that supports the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eS. H. and Z. C. conceived and designed the experiments. J. Y. supervised the project and conceived the idea. S. H., Z.C., X. L., L. C, J. X. and J. L. conducted the experiments, collected and analyzed the data. Q. H. and X. C. and L. C. carried out the simulations, theoretical analyses, and wrote all the code. Q. H. and J. Y. wrote the manuscript, with contributions from all authors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 62288101 and 62301149), Postdoctoral Innovation Talents Support Program (No. BX20230066), National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2023YFB3813100), Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Fund (No. 2023ZB318), Special Fund for Key Basic Research in Jiangsu Province (Nos. BK20243015, BK20230820), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2024M750418).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdditional information\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSupplementary information\u003c/strong\u003e The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/XXX.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCorrespondence\u003c/strong\u003e and requests for materials should be addressed to J. W. 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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 non-volatile 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, conferring dual-modal reconfigurability and information delivery in both microwave and visible regimes. Dynamic beam steering for wireless communication, adaptive beam 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 towards sustainable and scalable applications in wireless communication, smart internet of things (IoT), and optical-EM camouflage.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Multifunctional flipping-based mechanical metasurface enabling optical-microwave dual-modal reconfigurability","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-09-19 06:15:58","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7640194/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"979a5652-3423-4d1d-af73-7d03e2e07a35","owner":[],"postedDate":"September 19th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":54906079,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering/Electrical and electronic engineering"},{"id":54906080,"name":"Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical materials and structures/Metamaterials"},{"id":54906081,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for optics/Metamaterials"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-08T14:41:16+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-09-19 06:15:58","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7640194","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7640194","identity":"rs-7640194","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}