Science and technology reporter Liu Xia.
Scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Houston have developed a new composite material that can change behavior in response to temperature changes to perform specific tasks, and that the material could be part of the next generation of autonomous robots that can interact with the environment, according to scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Houston in the latest issue of Science Advances.
Researchers have developed a new composite material that can change behavior in response to temperature changes. **Science Advances.
The researchers developed the new material using computer algorithms, two different polymers, 3D printing, and reverse engineering of materials. The results of the experiment showed that the material expands or contracts with temperature changes.
To develop a new material or device that reacts in a particular way to the environment, it is challenging to conceptualize human intuition alone because there are so many possibilities. Therefore, the researchers decided to use computer algorithms to help determine the best combination of material properties and geometry.
The team first used computer modeling to conceptualize a two-polymer composite that behaves differently at different temperatures, depending on user input or autonomous sensing: it behaves like soft rubber at low temperaturesBehaves like hard plastic at high temperatures.
Subsequently, the researchers fabricated the composite material and tested its ability to react to temperature changes to perform a simple task: turn on the LED lights. The test results show that this material with intelligent temperature sensing capabilities could be very useful in the field of robotics. For example, if the load-bearing capacity of a robot needs to change with temperature, the material "knows" and adjusts its behavior to stop or perform a different task.
The next goal of the new research is to use this technology to add another level of complexity to the programmed or autonomous behavior of materials, such as the ability to sense an impact from another object, which is essential for robotic materials to respond to various hazards in the field, as well as unexpected situations.
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