What is a smart material? What makes it smarter than a passive "dumb" material? The term "smart material" means a lot of things to a lot of people. "Adaptronics" is a word also commonly used for smart materials. One common definition is based on a technology paradigm: the integration of actuators, sensors, and controls with a material or structural component. The second broad definition is oriented more to biological systems: material systems that have intelligence and life features integrated in the microstructure of the material system to reduce mass energy and produce adaptive functionality. My basic simple-minded definition is: a "smart material" is a general term for a broad category of multifunctional materials for which a specific property (optical, mechanical, electornic, etc.) can be controllably modified.
Revised: December 28, 2004 |
Published: June 1, 2003