https://thedebrief.org/breakthrough-meta...decisions/
EXCERPT: . . . To develop a metamaterial that can react to its environment independently, a group of researchers led by Guoliang Huang, a professor of engineering at the University of Missouri, looked to nature for inspiration. Specifically, they modeled their work on natural systems that can sense information, process that information, and then make movements or changes based on that information without external controllers in the loop.
“Some examples of these natural materials include the quick reaction of a Venus flytrap’s leafy jaws to capture an insect, chameleons changing the color of their skin to blend into their surroundings, and pinecones adjusting their shapes in response to changes in air humidity,” said Huang in a post for the World Economic Forum.
With results published in the journal Nature Communications, Huang and his colleagues used this information to develop a material that can sense information like temperature in its environment, use a built-in computer chip to process that sensory information, and then send out electrical signals to make changes to the material’s shape, much like a human muscle or that Venus flytrap.
“Basically, we are controlling how this material responds to changes in external stimuli found in its surroundings,” said Huang... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPT: . . . To develop a metamaterial that can react to its environment independently, a group of researchers led by Guoliang Huang, a professor of engineering at the University of Missouri, looked to nature for inspiration. Specifically, they modeled their work on natural systems that can sense information, process that information, and then make movements or changes based on that information without external controllers in the loop.
“Some examples of these natural materials include the quick reaction of a Venus flytrap’s leafy jaws to capture an insect, chameleons changing the color of their skin to blend into their surroundings, and pinecones adjusting their shapes in response to changes in air humidity,” said Huang in a post for the World Economic Forum.
With results published in the journal Nature Communications, Huang and his colleagues used this information to develop a material that can sense information like temperature in its environment, use a built-in computer chip to process that sensory information, and then send out electrical signals to make changes to the material’s shape, much like a human muscle or that Venus flytrap.
“Basically, we are controlling how this material responds to changes in external stimuli found in its surroundings,” said Huang... (MORE - missing details)