Intelligent Materials

What if you had these kinds of sensing interactive spaces in your neighborhood?

Building materials are getting more sophisticated and intelligent all the time. Graphene – a hyper-conductive microscopic substance that’s also incredibly strong – is printed into many new products these days, creating fabrics, glass, metals, and composites that serve as energy transmission systems and communication conduits alike.

Older parts of the city are typically modified with these new, more intelligent materials. Programmed, graphene embedded pieces are injected in incremental retrofits, tracing structures, streets, and outdoor spaces with leaf-like veins that record patterns of movement, energy use rates, repair requirements, and more, giving insight into the mechanisms that make the city work.

Research informing this future

• Innovations in manufacturing graphene and other nanomaterials are setting up contexts where fibers and fabrics could soon be embedded with new macroscopic functions, including protection against ultraviolet radiation and embedded sensing capabilities. Single pane windows could soon be made with translucent, programmed wood panels instead of glass, that are able to change opacity to suit privacy needs, or shift from insulation to ventilation modes depending on the weather.

Additional information on privacy issues in civic spaces

• Privacy in public

• Privacy risk management

• Risk Assessment in Urban Large-Scale Public Spaces

• Addressing privacy questions from augmented reality

What would intelligent building materials and urban spaces mean to you? Would you want them in your city? Why or why not?