CBC News today reports on efforts at the University of Leeds and at Washington University in St. Louis to use wireless sensors to improve building designs -- both to stiffen them against the stress of earthquakes and to detect and repair damage.

At Washington University, earthquake engineer Shirley Dyke is exploring the benefits of attaching wireless sensors to the sides of a building to monitor the force of sway caused by an earthquake. "The sensors then send messages to controls called magneto-rheological (or MR) dampers within the building's structure that can stiffen and lend added support when a quake is detected," the article states. "The MR dampers are filled with a fluid that includes suspended iron particles. When an electric current is sent through the fluid the iron particles align in response, adding structural support."

At the University of Leeds, a $21.4 million EU-funded project is developing a "self-healing" building that can repair its own cracks in response to signals from wireless sensors. "The self-healing walls will contain a special nano-polymer particle that turns into liquid when squeezed under pressure, flow to the weakened areas and harden to form a solid structure," the article states. "The polymer will be released in response to RFID tags and other wireless sensors designed to monitor everything from vibrations, temperature, humidity and gas levels."

More here from Scenta ... and more here from UPI.