When we take a look at any physical and tangible product, we think of the materials used to make that product. In our minds, the material is a raw product that has been shaped and treated to meet the specific need of the product. All that will change in the future as MIT introduces programmable materials that can change their shape depending on different stimuli.
\nThe aim of the lab is to focus on\u00a0\u201chow to bring computer science to our physical world, how to program our physical world to assemble itself and transform on its own,\u201d\u00a0says Skylar Tibbits, Self-Assembly Lab head and research scientist in the MIT Department of Architecture.
\n\u201cEvery material responds to some sort of energy source, and every material has properties of stiffness or flexibility or expansion or contraction,\u201d\u00a0he explains.\u00a0\u201cWe can have customizable smart materials that change shape, change properties, or have decision-making flexibility. We can combine them in unique\u00a0ways\u00a0so that they can act as sensors, actuators, or logic.\u201d
\nThis has already been implemented in a number of projects. Tibbits explains a project with Airbus\u00a0involving a jet engine air inlet that traditionally causes drag during flight. The original inlet required a mechanical flap to open and close, adding weight, components, and complex controls. He simplified the complex processes by simply programming the material to close and open depending on external conditions eliminating the need for a separate control panel\u00a0\u201cWe developed a piece of carbon fiber that\u2019s completely programmable and can automatically open and close to control the airflow based on temperature, altitude, or pressure as the plane leaves the ground and flies.\u201d
\nAnother project with\u00a0Briggs Automotive to adjust a rear spoiler is underway. The spoiler is used to enhance aerodynamics when required and increase traction in tires when the need arises by changing the rotation of the wing.\u00a0\u201cLet\u2019s say that if it rains, you want to increase traction on the tires,\u201d\u00a0Tibbits postulates,\u00a0\u201cYou can actually transform the wing panels on the car so that when they meet moisture they change and put more traction on the car. When they dry out, they become more aerodynamic and you can go faster.\u201d
\nThese revolutionary programmable materials will change the robotics industry comprising of huge production lines, where a single line is devoted to a single product. The breakthrough to actually program matter will result in the same material being used for different purposes, not only simplifying production but making it more efficient as well. While talking about the programmable materials, Tibbits said,\u00a0\u201cThey go from flat sheets into 3-D objects, or they go from strands or fibers into 2-D sheets or 3-D objects. They really showed that we could customize our smart materials to respond to different energy sources and become different objects in the end.\u201d
\nRead the source article at WonderfulEngineering.com.
\nSource: AI Trends<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When we take a look at any physical and tangible product, we think of the materials used to…\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[811],"tags":[812],"class_list":{"0":"post-3684","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai"},"yoast_head":"\n