Category - Learning

A new material called a mechanical neural network can learn and change its physical properties

A new type of material can learn and improve its ability to deal with unexpected forces thanks to a unique lattice structure with connections of variable stiffness, as described in a new paper by my colleagues and me. The new material is a type of architected material, which gets its properties mainly from the geometry and specific traits of its design rather than what it is made out of. Take hook-and-loop fabric closures like Velcro, for example. It doesn’t matter whether it is made from cotton, plastic or any other substance. As long as one side is a fabric with stiff hooks and the other side has fluffy loops, the material will have the sticky properties of Velcro.
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Resilient communities: transitions, pathways and resourcefulness: Resilient communities

This is a Review Essay. It uses as a starting point ideas from the recent book by Geoff A Wilson, Community resilience and environmental transitions, to develop arguments about the nature of work by geographers on the resilience of human communities. It considers the legacy of ideas about resilience derived from ecology and engineering, whilst noting a third interpretation relating to adaptive resilience and the contribution of work from psychology on resilience in individuals.
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48 | P2P Networking
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