A team of researchers from Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed sensors which can be sprayed directly on to flat or curved surfaces. The sensors can be networked to extract rich real-time information on the health status of the structure being monitored. Due to its light weight and low fabrication cost, large quantities of sensors can be deployed in a sensor network for detecting hidden flaws of structures, which the researchers say will pave the way for a new era of ultrasonics-based structural health monitoring.
