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About

Masanobu Naito is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of mechanical metamaterials, soft matter physics, and data-driven materials science. His work fundamentally reimagines how materials can be programmed to change shape and function on demand. Naito’s most impactful contribution is the development of **reprogrammable flexible mechanical metamaterials** (2022, 48 citations), which overcame a critical limitation of traditional metamaterials—their fixed, single-use deformation modes—by introducing structures whose mechanical responses can be dynamically altered. He has also advanced the field of **liquid marble technology** (2021, 29 citations), creating a novel “patchwork” method on super-repellent surfaces that enables new applications in microfluidics and soft robotics. Demonstrating a commitment to accelerating materials discovery, Naito co-developed a **machine-learning-based phase diagram construction** tool (2022, 13 citations) for high-throughput experiments, significantly reducing the time needed to map new material systems. Further showcasing his ingenuity, he has pioneered **light-induced topological patterning** for 3D shape-reconfigurable origami (2022, 8 citations), enabling complex, predetermined shape changes without cumbersome molds. Through these diverse yet interconnected achievements, Naito is establishing a new paradigm for intelligent, adaptive materials.