Adaptronics: technical systems with »nerves and muscles« 

Mechanical structures have to be increasingly efficient, although they come up against more and more technical and economic feasibility limitations. This is because these systems can be best designed for just one operating point. The ideal situation would be if these structures were like biological systems, independently adapting themselves to changing operating conditions.   

In adaptronics, built-in sensors record forces and strains that might cause unwanted vibrations. These data are electronically processed in real time to generate information to allow built-in actuators to adjust to changes. This has a direct impact on the properties of mechanical structures for driving down vibrations, noise and strain, control deformation and monitor damage. The idea is making products with extended functionalities, lower weight and volume, an improved cost-to-benefit ratio and longer life.   

D    eveloping these adaptive structures not only requires multifunctional materials with sensor and actuator properties, but also numerical and experimental simulations of the overall adaptive systems, software and hardware design, control technique, microelectronics and system reliability.   

The overall adaptive system (© Fraunhofer LBF)

Some of the essential work to be done before rolling it out on the market is seen in building a cost-effective and self-contained chain of development for high-reliability autonomous adaptive structures. Many projects have been launched under the direction of Fraunhofer LBF that combine the expertise of various Fraunhofer institutes for applications in automotive engineering and machine tool construction to build a self-contained chain of development. Initial prototypical adaptive structures have already been built and are presently in the testing stage.