Discussion on:

How this self-healing material can sense when there's trouble

He needs a better tack than breaking optical cables, to detect damage and deliver the "cure" -- I'm assuming that once a cable breaks, it will stay broken. Even if the ends were "perfectly" lined up once more by the heating, there would be a transmission fault in that location that, presumably, would initiate the healing cycle again -- or necessitate blocking that area from the scheme.

I suggest microwave radio heating instead. We (and he) would still have the problem of sorting out sensing signals and delivering healing signals, but wire-borne radio could cycle pairs of wires between sensing, and a self-monitoring signal that would detect and store the normal range of reception, via sensing the EM fields generated by the other wire in the pair.

Wires would be tougher than thin glass or plastic light guides, and spreading gaps between "pairs of pairs" would change the collected responses. A trend in that change, or changes that did not coincide with intended flexing of the material, could then be "treated." Heat treatment could consist of the delivery of two half-doses between two criss-crossing layers, that would add up to a full dose at the damage point. That point would then heat up past the recovery point, while "pain" in the area would induced the machine to keep the area static until the temperature was again lowered. Another of radio's strengths is that the hysterisis of the material could change with nearby material density, and with the distance to other wire pairs; a feature not available in the light guides. That could make the material much more sensitive to encroaching stress. With paired and criss-crossed wires, the material might also double as a passive touch sensor matrix.

I admit that I'm thinking more in the line of flexible materials on a moving frame, ala robot skins; rather than rigid materials such as turbine blades. The later would also be challenged by the healing process, because they are virtually ALWAYS under stress, and so it would be hard to relax the area.

Note that neural nets would likely be the best way to manage this scheme; lots of inputs, but only a few correct responses. Nets are also fabulous at detecting faint or confusing patterns. They could also provide flexibility and redundancy, because of the way the "senses" would overlap with each other, when pair wires switched roles. The inputs could include movement sensors as well, to prevent unneeded "healing" cycles. Also, one would not have to analyse the signals to death to decide. Nets would do that work invisibly.

Note also that MY scheme doesn't necessarily lower the strength of the material, nor does it create portions that, once healed, are no longer capable of healing themselves.

Finally, note that I'm providing this input voluntarily, for no charge. AND that such provision makes nonsense of the urge corporations have, to always charge for any intellectual capital. WE ARE the intellectual capital of the world, one thought at a time, and the urge to charge for originality will drive such capital into hiding. There will come a day, when this adds up.

BTW, the Terminator comparison is bunk. The T-101 was clothed in a suit of LIVING flesh, which healed itself using Life v1.0 technology. The only way it could "mend" its metal skeleton was to pull off broken pieces that inhibited movement. The rest of its "healing" was some form of adaptive programming around broken internal connections. The T-1000 was far beyond any of these ideas.

He needs a better tack than breaking optical cables, to detect damage and deliver the "cure" -- I'm assuming that once a cable breaks, it will stay broken. Even if the ends were "perfectly" lined up once more by the heating, there would be a transmission fault in that location that, presumably, would initiate the healing cycle again -- or necessitate blocking that area from the scheme.

I suggest microwave radio heating instead. We (and he) would still have the problem of sorting out sensing signals and delivering healing signals, but wire-borne radio could cycle pairs of wires between sensing, and a self-monitoring signal that would detect and store the normal range of reception, via sensing the EM fields generated by the other wire in the pair.

Wires would be tougher than thin glass or plastic light guides, and spreading gaps between "pairs of pairs" would change the collected responses. A trend in that change, or changes that did not coincide with intended flexing of the material, could then be "treated." Heat treatment could consist of the delivery of two half-doses between two criss-crossing layers, that would add up to a full dose at the damage point. That point would then heat up past the recovery point, while "pain" in the area would induced the machine to keep the area static until the temperature was again lowered. Another of radio's strengths is that the hysterisis of the material could change with nearby material density, and with the distance to other wire pairs; a feature not available in the light guides. That could make the material much more sensitive to encroaching stress. With paired and criss-crossed wires, the material might also double as a passive touch sensor matrix.

I admit that I'm thinking more in the line of flexible materials on a moving frame, ala robot skins; rather than rigid materials such as turbine blades. The later would also be challenged by the healing process, because they are virtually ALWAYS under stress, and so it would be hard to relax the area.

Note that neural nets would likely be the best way to manage this scheme; lots of inputs, but only a few correct responses. Nets are also fabulous at detecting faint or confusing patterns. They could also provide flexibility and redundancy, because of the way the "senses" would overlap with each other, when pair wires switched roles. The inputs could include movement sensors as well, to prevent unneeded "healing" cycles. Also, one would not have to analyse the signals to death to decide. Nets would do that work invisibly.

Note also that MY scheme doesn't necessarily lower the strength of the material, nor does it create portions that, once healed, are no longer capable of healing themselves.

Finally, note that I'm providing this input voluntarily, for no charge. AND that such provision makes nonsense of the urge corporations have, to always charge for any intellectual capital. WE ARE the intellectual capital of the world, one thought at a time, and the urge to charge for originality will drive such capital into hiding. There will come a day, when this adds up.

BTW, the Terminator comparison is bunk. The T-101 was clothed in a suit of LIVING flesh, which healed itself using Life v1.0 technology. The only way it could "mend" its metal skeleton was to pull off broken pieces that inhibited movement. The rest of its "healing" was some form of adaptive programming around broken internal connections. The T-1000 was far beyond any of these ideas.