I-Corps: Controlled Membranes for Industrial Applications

该项目将更接近于实施主动控制膜技术的基础研究成果。通过利用膜技术的结构、材料、传感和反馈控制，该项目可以推进所有这些领域的基础知识和应用知识。通过设想的控制膜装置，它将嵌入最新的理论和技术进步，该项目将使研究更快地从大学实验室进入应用领域和市场。用于集成建模和控制膜结构设计的专用软件工具增强了这一技术。这些工具可以使某些软件开发人员摆脱传统的顺序方法，在这种方法中，建模和设计过程的每个步骤都与其他步骤相分离。控制设计步骤通常是特别孤立的，因为控制设计是在所有先前的建模和设计步骤完成之后执行的。集成的软件工具将使多学科的设计方法成为可能，这是目前日益增长的计算能力所促进的。该项目可能会通过提供轻量化、自适应的解决方案来取代现有的使用重型玻璃反射器的技术，从而影响光学领域。由于反射器被广泛使用，从空间望远镜到手术室的光放大器，其社会影响也可能是多方面的，从改进科学数据收集（例如通过空间望远镜），这将加强对公众的科学理解、国防能力（在航空航天应用中）、到保健设备和条件。控制膜的软件也可以通过提供新的专用工具来解决轻量级控制膜结构的新兴技术，从而影响软件开发人员。该项目也有可能影响生物学/医学，因为这些领域的研究人员可以使用该软件来分析生物学背景下的膜行为。

The project will take closer to implementation fundamental research results in the technology of actively controlled membranes. By leveraging structures, materials, sensing and feedback control into membrane technology the project could advance fundamental as well as applied knowledge in all these areas. Via the envisioned controlled membrane devices, which will embed very recent theoretical and technological advances, this project will bring research much faster out of University Labs into the applications area and to the market. Dedicated software tools for integrated modeling and design of controlled membrane structures enhance this technology. These tools can enable certain software developers to move away from the traditional sequential approach in which each step of the modeling and design process is rather separated from other steps. The control design step is in general particularly isolated, since control design is performed after all the previous modeling and design steps have been completed. Integrated software tools will enable the multidisciplinary design approach that is nowadays facilitated by growing computational capabilities.The project may impact the field of optics by providing lightweight, adaptive solutions to replace existing technology that uses heavy, glassy reflectors. Since reflectors are widely used, from space telescopes to light amplifiers in surgery rooms, the societal impact may also be multi-faceted, ranging from improved science data gathering (e.g. via space telescopes) which will enhance scientific understanding of the general public, defense capabilities (in aerospace applications), to health care equipment and conditions. Software for controlled membranes may also impact software developers by providing new, dedicated tools to address the emerging technology of lightweight controlled membrane structures. The project also has the potential to impact biology/medicine because researchers in these areas may use the software to analyze membrane behavior in biological contexts.