smart skin
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Color-changing smart skin gets an upgrade thanks to chameleons
Color-changing smart skin is nothing new, but scientists have had a hard time working out the kinks. Current smart skin is fragile and buckles after being exposed to varying temperatures. To help remedy that problem, scientists turned to analyzing detailed videos of chameleons' skin. This helped them develop a far more resilient take on this tech, which shows a more promising future for color-changing gear.
Engineers develop damage-detecting 'skin' for airplanes
Modern aircraft require lots of ground checks to ensure they're safe to fly, but researchers at BAE Systems believe they've found new hi-tech way to minimize that down time. Using tens of thousands of micro-sensors, the aerospace giant has developed a new type of "smart skin" that can detect damage and report back health statistics to its operator. BAE says the experimental coating might sense wind speed, temperature, movement and strain in the same way that human skin detects and sends impulses back to the brain, reducing the need for personnel to make physical inspections on the ground. On top of that, maintenance crews could also replace parts before they become unsafe or inefficient. While its new smart skin is still very much in development, BAE reckons it can shrink its self-powered sensors down to the size of a grain of rice and then spray them onto new or existing aircraft like paint. Planes with feelings, it appears, won't just be limited to animated Disney films.
