by Georges Akhras SMART MATERIALS AND （由乔治Akhras智能材料和）.pdf

by Georges Akhras SMART MATERIALS AND SMART SYSTEMS FOR THE FUTURE n the years to come, the roles of the Canadian that emulates a biological function. The human body is Forces will continue to be to defend the country and the ideal or ultimate smart system. its vital interests, and to participate actively in peacekeeping and peace restoration missions. To One of the first attempts to use the smart materi- Icarry out these tasks in an appropriate and effective als technology involved materials constructed to do way, the Forces must keep abreast of technological the work of electromechanical devices. Since then, advances and needs if they are to adopt and bring into many types of sensors2 and actuators3 have been service the best available ones. Moreover, effective col- developed to measure or excite a system. This tech- laboration with our allies, especially the Americans, nology is still in its infancy and the scientific com- will clearly demand the best in equipment and training. munity is just beginning to scratch the surface of its Last year, the Defence Research and Development potential. With a bit of imagination one can see enor- Branch of DND published a document explaining the mous benefits to society. policies, opportunities and desired outcomes for the near future. ‘Smart materials’ and ‘smart structures’ are This paper presents a simple overview of the tech- listed among the technological opportunit