Researchers at UC Santa Barbara and TU Dresden are blurring the lines between robotics and materials, with a proof-of-concept material-like collective of robots with behaviors inspired by biology. Of ...

Dr. Onur Bilgen discusses ornithopters, smart materials, and the future of bioinspired drone design and unmanned aviation ...

Smart materials are characterized by the capability to change properties in response to environmental changes or external stimuli. They can be tailored to have controlled interactions with biological ...

A new smart material is activated by both heat and electricity, making it the first ever to respond to two different stimuli. A new smart material developed by researchers at the University of ...

The following is part of a series on brain-machine integration and biomechanical solutions to restore function to tissues damaged by disease, trauma, or time. This and the previous piece focus on ...

DURHAM, N.C. – As anyone who has ever parked a car in the sun on a hot summer day knows, glass windows are great at letting sunlight in but terrible at allowing heat out. Now, engineers at Duke ...

UK researchers have created the first smart fabric that can change shape and color in response to two different stimuli: heat and electricity. The development opens up new possibilities in various ...

Understanding smart materials is vital for advancing adaptable technologies, forming the foundation for breakthroughs in robotics, automation, and biomedical devices. This area of study explores the ...

Early smart materials were typically amorphous polymers, hydrogels, or liquid crystalline systems with randomly distributed responsive groups, which limited response speed, energy efficiency, and the ...