U.S. military and Texas researchers have developed a material that they say “can heal autonomously.”
The 3-D printable and stimulus-responsive polymeric materials have similarities to the shaped T-1000 Terminator character in the movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”
The materials could be used for morphing drones and robotic platforms, according to aerospace engineer Dr. Frank Gardea, who is the lead researcher on the Army Research Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory project.
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“While the research is mature, it is expected that the epoxy material will have the potential for massive reconfigurability and embedded intelligence that will allow it to adapt autonomously to its environment without external control,” the army explained on its website. “Currently, the stimulus on this material responds to temperature, which researchers first select because of its ease of use during laboratory tests.”
The movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, directed by James Cameron. Seen here, the T-1000 Terminator, in partial liquid metal form, has suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
(Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
Researchers have introduced light responsiveness to the material because it is easier to control and apply, according to Gardea.
The research, which is still in the discovery phase, is published in the peer-reviewed journal Advanced Functional Materials.
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The Army is focusing on this type of research as part of its Future Vertical Lift initiative, which aims to improve knowledge of material behavior for military technologies for “far-future”.
Researchers from Army and Texas A&M University are potentially looking at synthetic materials for future applications in realistic prosthetic limbs, self-healing helicopter blades and morphing drones.
(Courtesy Texas A&M University)
Army researchers, for example, see drones that can change shape in mid-flood. Experts from the Army’s Research Laboratory presented their work on a new tool to develop the small shape-shifting drones at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation Forum and Exposition virtual event on June 16.
Army researchers and Texas A&M University published the findings of a two-year study in fluid structure interaction. “Their research led to a tool that will be able to quickly optimize the structural configuration for Future Vertical Lift vehicles while keeping a close eye on the interaction between air and structure,” the Army Research Laboratory said in a statement earlier. this year was released.
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The movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, directed by James Cameron. Seen here from left, the T-1000 Terminator, in liquid metal form, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (as the T-800 Terminator). Screen capture. Paramount Photos.
The US military is heavily focused on the development of innovative materials. University of Buffalo researchers and military scientists, for example, have simulated mother of pearl, as the outer coating of pearls, to make a lightweight plastic described as 14 times stronger and eight times lighter than steel. In a statement released last year, the military said the material was “ideal for absorbing the impact of bullets and other projectiles.”
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