Publication | Open Access
Intelligent Material Systems — The Dawn of a New Materials Age
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1993
Year
EngineeringMechanical EngineeringMaterial InnovationMaterial SelectionBiomedical EngineeringMaterial SystemIntrinsic Structural ImpedanceStructural MaterialsIntelligent Material SystemsKinesiologySoft RoboticsMechanicsBiomechanicsStructural ImpedanceSmart StructureMaterials ScienceMaterials EngineeringMaterial PropertyMechanical DesignMechanical ModelingBiomimetic ActuatorActuationElectronic-mechanical SystemTechnologyNew Materials AgeMaterials CharacterizationMechanical SystemsBiological AnalogsMaterials DesignStructural Mechanics
The intelligent material system solution to such engineering problems as the design of a robotic arm borrows directly from biological analogs; materials that behave much as muscles do during contraction can be employed as induced strain actuators which work against the intrinsic structural impedance of the component. Unlike actual human arms, which are jointed, the intelligent structure may be a continuum. The adaptation of structural impedance may be regarded as the most fundamental and consequential concept in the field of intelligent material systems.