Smart Matter

Smart matter products incorporate microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) into their structure. Too small to be seen with the naked eye, these computers, gears, sensors, motors, power systems, and communicators allow a smart matter device to sense and process data, and to react by performing electromechanical functions. Smart matter on a microscopic level produces many of the simpler effects ascribed to a mature molecular nanotechnology. Clothes or footwear can reconfigure itself in a limited but intelligent fashion to ensure perfect fit. Surfaces can vary textures, change color, or even incorporate microscopic brushes to ensure dirt or paint sticks only when it is told to. Aircraft fuselages can alter their aerodynamics to conform to all flight regimes. Layers of smart matter can create self-sealing and, to a degree, self-healing structures.