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“Smart skin” can identify weaknesses in bridges and airplanes using laser scanner
Recent research results have demonstrated that two-dimensional, on-demand mapping of the accumulated strain on metal structures will soon be a reality thanks to an engineered “smart skin” that’s only a fraction of the width of a human hair. By utilizing the unique properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes, a two-layer film airbrushed onto surfaces of bridges, pipelines, and airplanes, among others, can be scanned to reveal weaknesses in near real-time. As a bonus, the technology is barely visible even on a transparent surface, making it that much more flexible as an application.
Stress-inducing events, along with regular wear and tear, can deform structures and machines, affecting their safety and operability. Mechanical strain on structural surfaces provides information on the condition of the materials such as damage location and severity. Existing conventional sensors are only able to measure strain in one point along one axis, but with the smart skin technology, strain detection in any direction or location will be possible.
How “Smart Skin” Technology is Used
In 2002, researchers discovered that single-wall carbon nanotubes fluoresce, i.e., glow brightly when stimulated by a light source. Later, the fluorescence was further found to change color when stretched. This optical property was then considered in the context of metal structures that are subject to strain, specifically to apply the property as a diagnostic tool. To obtain the fluorescent data, researchers applied the smart skin to a testing surface, irradiated the area with a small laser scanner, and captured the resulting nanotube color emissions with an infrared spectrometer. Finally, two-dimensional maps of the accumulated strain were generated with the results.
The primary researchers, Professors Satish Nagarajaiah and Bruce Weisman of Rice University in Texas, have published two scientific papers explaining the methods used for achieving this technology and the results of its proof-of-principle application. As described in the papers, aluminum bars with holes or notches in areas of potential stress were tested with the laser technique to demonstrate the full potential of their invention. The points measured were located 1 millimeter apart, but the researchers stated that the points could be located 20 times closer for even more accurate readings. Standard strain sensors have points located several millimeters apart.
What Are Carbon Nanotubes?
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are carbon molecules that have been structurally modified into cylinders, or rather, rolled up sheets of carbon atoms. There has been some evidence suggesting that CNTs can be formed via natural processes such as volcanic events. However, to really capitalize on their unique characteristics, production in a laboratory environment is much more efficient.
Several methods can be used for production, but the most widely used method for synthesizing CNTs is chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This process combines a catalyzing metal with a carbon-containing gas which are heated to approximately 1400 degrees Fahrenheit, triggering the carbon molecules to assemble and grow into nanotubes. The resulting formation resembles a forest or lawn grass, each trunk or blade averaging .43 nanometers in diameter. The length is dependent on variables such as the amount of time spent in the high heat environment.
Besides surface analysis, carbon nanotubes have proven invaluable in many research and commercial arenas, their luminescence being only one of many properties that can improve and enable other technologies. Their mechanical tensile strength is 400 times that of steel while only having one sixth the density, making them very lightweight. CNTs also have highly conductive electrical and thermal properties, are extremely resistant to corrosion, and can be filled with other nanomaterials. All of these advantages open up their applications to include solar cells, sensors, drug delivery, electronic devices and shielding, lithium-ion batteries, body armor, and perhaps even a space elevator, assuming significant advances overcome its hurdles.
Next Steps
The nanotube-laced smart skin is ready for scaling up into real-world applications, but its chosen industry may take time to adopt given the general resistance to change in a field with long-standing existing technology. While awaiting embrace in the arena it was primarily designed for, the smart skin has other potential uses in engineering research applications. Bruce Weisman, also the discoverer of CNT fluorescence, anticipates its advantages being used for testing the design of small-scaled structures and engines prior to deployment. Niche applications like these may be the primary entry point into the market for some time to come. In the meantime, the researchers plan to continue developing their strain reader to capture simultaneous readings from large surfaces.
Tesla’s Automatic Collision Evasion feature can be seen in one of the first owner videos of it in action.
Tesla owner Spencer (@scotsrule08) posted on Monday that the feature “worked flawlessly,” saying FSD reengaged itself just as he was about to hit a curb. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s AI team, shared the clip and wrote, “A guardian angel always looking out for you.”
The video arrives in the middle of a staged rollout. Tesla first shipped Automatic Collision Evasion with FSD (Supervised) v14.3.9 in software update 2026.27.6 earlier this month, which Teslarati covered as it reached cars. Update 2026.27.10, which began going out on September 19, carried the feature improvements with FSD v14.3.10, according to release notes tracked by Not a Tesla App. The newer 2026.27.11 build is now reaching another wave of vehicles.
The new Automatic Collision Evasion feature worked flawlessly! FSD reengaged itself just as I was about to hit a curb.
Kudos @Tesla_AI team! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Fbp15HhpL2
— Spencer (@scotsrule08) September 28, 2026
The feature only runs on HW4 vehicles, and it requires an active FSD purchase or subscription with both FSD (Supervised) and Automatic Emergency Braking enabled. HW3 owners receive FSD v14.2 Lite in the same updates, but that build does not include collision evasion.
Tesla’s release notes describe two triggers. The first is an imminent frontal collision that braking alone may not prevent, in which case the car can activate FSD to steer, brake or accelerate around the hazard. That scenario is limited to highways below 85 mph, with no pedestrians or cyclists detected and no slippery road surface. The second covers a driver who appears inattentive, such as reaching into the back seat, or who seems to have switched off FSD by accident. Spencer’s curb clip appears to fall into that second category.
Tesla plans big safety improvements for Full Self-Driving v15
Once the system takes over, the accelerator is muted and light brake input will not cancel the maneuver. Drivers need to apply firm, deliberate steering force to take back control, and the car chimes to hand control back once the danger has passed.
Elluswamy recently noted that earlier hazard prediction, faster reaction time and better collision avoidance would arrive with FSD v15, the next major version.
Tesla is delaying its event for the Roadster, moving it from this Thursday, October 1, to Thursday, October 15, due to unfavorable weather.
The company has said it has been tracking the weather for this Thursday closely with local meteorologists, and because the event can only be held outside, Tesla is making the call to delay it:
“We’ve been tracking the weather closely with local meteorologists, but given the severe conditions predicted & because this event can only be held outdoors, we’ve made the difficult decision to reschedule. New date is October 15. Additional details to follow.”
Roadster event update
We’ve been tracking the weather closely with local meteorologists, but given the severe conditions predicted & because this event can only be held outdoors, we’ve made the difficult decision to reschedule.
New date is October 15. Additional details to…
— Tesla (@Tesla) September 28, 2026
We are sure that this is bringing back PTSD for some Tesla fans, and we know it is not ideal, but this also reveals some things about the event. Tesla said that this can only be held outdoors, meaning it bodes well for the rumors that the vehicle could potentially hover.
Some believe that this was essentially confirmed by the FAA airspace restriction they were granted, but this could have been for a drone show or to keep drones from spying on the event.
Tesla Roadster is available for order once again following brief hold
The Roadster event has been long-awaited, and it is unfortunate that the weather is going to keep us all waiting a little bit longer.
The Tesla Roadster will be unveiled in Waco, Texas.
Elon Musk
SpaceX turned a heralding moment for Starship into its greatest
Starship reached orbit despite losing an engine, deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites on Flight 14.
SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit for the first time on Monday, and for a few nail-biting minutes it looked like it wouldn’t. During ascent on Flight 14, one of Ship 41’s six Raptor engines shut down early, and SpaceX’s livestream host Dan Huot told viewers the team had decided not to commit to orbit. Minutes later, after what Huot described as a lot of conversation in the control room, the final poll came back in favor, and a roughly 19 second burn of a single Raptor pushed the ship into orbit about 170 miles up.
The reversal matters because SpaceX had written the exit ramp into the mission plan. The company said it would only fire the orbital insertion burn if flight controllers confirmed enough backup hardware remained for the deorbit burn, a condition Teslarati laid out ahead of the flight. Losing an engine was exactly the scenario that rule was built for.
Pressing forward fits Elon Musk’s history. Falcon 1 failed three straight times before its fourth launch reached orbit in 2008, with SpaceX nearly out of money, and Starship was developed by flying prototypes until they broke. What changed this year SpaceX going public, and with $SPCX sliding below its IPO price in July when Flight 13 slipped, the short interest climbed significantly, as Teslarati reported at the time. A Starship potentially lost today with revenue generating next-gen Starlink satellites aboard would have landed directly on shareholders.
Splashdown confirmed. Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on the first orbital flight of Starship! pic.twitter.com/urjmiwnvNl
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 28, 2026
That pressure showed up after orbit. SpaceX cut a flight planned to last nearly 10 hours to about three, moving splashdown from west of Chile to the North Pacific near Hawaii. SpaceX gave no reason, though Musk said this month the company was being extremely cautious about debris risk. The single Raptor for deorbit worked, and Ship 41 completed its flip and landing burn before breaking apart in the water, an outcome SpaceX expected. Musk has structured SpaceX’s governance to shield long term bets from market pressure.
The payload is the bigger business story. Musk posted that all 26 Starlink V3 satellites deployed and are “operating nominally.” Each V3 is rated for about 1 Tbps of downlink and 160 Gbps of uplink, so this single launch adds roughly 26 Tbps, about 10 times what a Falcon 9 load of V2 Mini satellites adds. The V3 is too large for Falcon 9, making Starship the only vehicle that can build out the planned 100,000 satellite constellation, at up to 60 per flight once it reaches routine service. Unlike the 20 V3 units on Flight 13, which reentered on a suborbital path, these will raise their orbits and could begin serving customers within weeks and bring in hundreds of millions of additional dollars in projected Starlink revenue.
SpaceX has already begun winding down Falcon 9 Starlink launches from Florida in favor of Starship. Reported targets put Flight 15 as early as October 19, leaving about three weeks to diagnose Monday’s engine shutdown before the next orbital attempt.
Starship’s 14th flight is set to launch on Monday, Sept 28. The 75-minute launch window opens at 7:15 a.m. CT. Live coverage of the mission starts ~35 minutes before launch → https://t.co/uQKQvgaTmJ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 27, 2026
Watch Tesla’s “guardian angel” FSD feature take over for collision evasion
Tesla Roadster event gets delayed due to unfavorable weather
