Keyword: Smart materials

5 Ws: Materials
A team of researchers at Cornell Engineering has developed a soft robot that can detect when and where it was damaged — and then heal itself on the spot.
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Researchers produced a soft, mechanical metamaterial that can “think” about how forces are applied to it and respond via programmed reactions.
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Briefs: Materials
NASA has developed a new metal matrix composite (MMC) that can repair itself from large fatigue cracks that occur during the service life of a structure.
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Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing
By incorporating a special type of plastic yarn and using heat to slightly melt it — a process called thermoforming — the researchers were able to greatly improve the precision of pressure sensors woven into multilayered knit textiles, which they call 3DKnITS.
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Briefs: Medical
Study confirms that hydrogels work in a similar way to how humans detect pressure, paving the way for more ionic devices.
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Briefs: Materials
Applications include a smart fabric for exoskeletons, an adaptive cast that adjusts its stiffness as an injury heals, or a deployable bridge that could be unrolled and stiffened.
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Briefs: Power
The material remains effective as an energy harvester or sensor at temperatures to well above 572°F.
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Briefs: AR/AI
The piezoelectric “meta-bot” is capable of propulsion, movement, sensing, and decision-making.
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Briefs: Manned Systems
A lightweight alternative to rudders for aircraft with spanwise adaptive wings.
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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Engineers have created a highly effective way to paint complex 3D-printed objects, such as lightweight frames for aircraft and biomedical stents, that could save manufacturers time and money and provide new...

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Briefs: Imaging

A Penn State-led team of interdisciplinary researchers developed a polymer with robust piezoelectric effectiveness, resulting in 60 percent more efficient electricity...

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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
A reversible polymer changes color when it senses a material is about to fail.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
These materials can detect when they are damaged, take the necessary steps to temporarily heal themselves, and then resume work.
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Briefs: Materials
A new study challenges the conventional approach to designing soft robotics and metamaterials by utilizing the power of computer algorithms.
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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Metamaterials that manipulate microwave energy can be fabricated using low-cost inkjet printing.
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Briefs: Energy
The nanothin material could advance self-powered electronics, wearable technologies, and even deliver pacemakers powered by heartbeats.
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Briefs: Materials
These “living machines” hold potential for applications from medical treatments to improving the environment.
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Briefs: Materials
The synthetic material is soft but can withstand heavy loading with minimum wear and tear for engineering applications.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Sensing is incorporated directly into an object’s material, with applications for assistive technology and “intelligent” furniture.
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Briefs: Packaging & Sterilization
The built-in nanosensors glow to alert patients when a wound is not healing properly.
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Briefs: Energy
The device combines with body power to treat tendon disease and damage, and sports injuries.
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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
The hydrogels can morph multiple times in a preprogrammed or on-demand manner in response to external trigger signals.
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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
These shape memory robotic arms eliminate the need for joints, rigid skeletons, or framework.
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Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing
The eco-friendly process removes heavy metals, dyes, and other pollutants.
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Briefs: Energy
The windows reduce the need for air conditioning and simultaneously generate electricity.
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Q&A: Energy

Jingcheng Ma, along with a team of researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, found a way to make ultra-thin water-resistant surface coatings robust enough to...

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5 Ws: Energy
The wearable device turns the touch of a finger into a source of power for small electronics and sensors.
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Briefs: Materials
The design may enable miniature zoom lenses for drones, cellphones, or night-vision goggles.
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Articles: Aerospace
Metamaterial printing, high-efficiency solar cells, and a noise-reduction material.
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