Why in the News
Researchers in Europe have developed a synthetic metamaterial capable of physically learning and changing shape in response to external conditions. The findings were published in the journal Nature Physics.
About Metamaterials
- Special engineered materials whose properties depend on:
- Internal structure
- Physical arrangement
- Not just chemical composition
- Can exhibit unusual properties not found in natural materials
Key Features of the New Material
- Built as a chain of connected robotic units
- Each unit contains:
- Motor
- Angle sensor
- Microcontroller
- Capable of:
- Learning shapes
- Forgetting previous configurations
- Adapting to new external conditions
| [2023] Consider the following actions: 1. Detection of car crash/collision which results in the deployment of airbags almost instantaneously 2. Detection of accidental free fall of a laptop towards the ground which results in the immediate turning off of the hard drive 3. Detection of the tilt of the smart- phone which results in the rotation of display between portrait and landscape mode In how many of the above actions is the function of accelerometer required? [A] Only one [B] Only two [C] All three [D] None |
