Optical fibers in materials: an artificial nervous system
Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - 07:02
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org)—When placed inside a material, optical fibers act like artificial nerves, transmitting valuable information about a structure's state of fatigue and wear. A new technique developed at EPFL makes it possible to collect this data with vastly improved resolution and efficiency, opening up the possibility of new applications, particularly in much smaller objects.