Inspired by the structure of proteins, designed by nature to function as nanoscale shock absorbers, we propose the concept of harnessing structural instabilities to repeatedly filter out forces, e.g. from a vibrating environment, that exceed the permitted level. In the context of engineering applications, such remarkable mechanical protection has only been possible with complicated feedback-control; yet, we show that it can be materialized by means of architected materials that include force-sensitive building blocks, i.e. mechanical units that are carefully designed to undergo reversible morphological changes when forces exceed the permitted level. Experiments with 3D-printed prototypes and computer simulations demonstrate that forces transferred from a vibrating environment do not exceed the design threshold, irrespective of the amplitude or frequency of the vibrations. The design threshold is also maintained under impacts. With today’s manufacturing technology, the underlying principles can be implemented at all practical scales, from sub-millimeter size to meters, and the behavior can be tailored per application.

受蛋白质结构的启发（自然界设计为纳米级减震器），我们提出了利用结构不稳定性反复滤除力（例如，来自振动环境的力）超过允许水平的概念。在工程应用中，只有通过复杂的反馈控制才能实现如此出色的机械保护。但是，我们表明可以通过包括对力敏感的构造块的建筑材料来实现它，即经过精心设计的机械单元，当力超过允许水平时会发生可逆的形态变化。使用3D打印的原型进行的实验和计算机模拟表明，振动环境传递的力不会超过设计阈值，与振动的幅度或频率无关。设计阈值也会受到影响。利用当今的制造技术，可以在从亚毫米大小到米的所有实际规模上实现基本原理，并且可以针对每种应用量身定制行为。