Intelligent materials are a class of
materials currently being
researched and
devleoped by various
institutions around the world. The concept is that these materials are to be much more
active than current materials. For example, today, an
airplane wing is made of some combination of
aluminum and
steel and such, and it just sits there, other than the
mechanical parts such as the
flaps.
An intelligent material is much more active. It has the abilitiy to alter it's properties as needed. For example, a liquid crystal glazing over glass would be able to alter transparency, going from clear to opaque. No more blinds or shades needed.
More advanced versions are also in development, where sensors are embedded in the material, allowing for automatic changes to adapt to conditions faster than a human operator could ever manage.