Thin and flexible polymer sheets that combine the latest fibre-optic sensing technology with optoelectronics could soon be measuring the stresses and strains placed on structures ranging from bridges and dams to helicopter blades. That's the goal of a new EU project called Phos-fos, which is pioneering photonic skins for optical sensing.rn"We want to show that we can integrate fibre sensors with all of the necessary driving and readout optoelectronics in a flexible substrate," project coordinator Francis Berghmans of Vrije University in Brussels, Belgium, told OLE. "We want to integrate photonic crystal fibres made of silica or plastic with optical sources and detectors in a polymer skin whilst keeping everything flexible."
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