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As mentioned in a January post, mechanical engineer John Blottman gave one of the keynote presentations at ACerS’ recent Electronic Materials and Applications conference held in Orlando, Fla.

Blottman, who works in the Sensors and Sonar Systems Depart of the Navy’s Undersea Warfare Center, is part of a team working on developing what is essentially an artificial jellyfish that might one day serve as a replacement for traditional buoy-based sonar and sensor equipment. Blottman explains that materials scientists, chemists, engineers and others are working in collaborative efforts, and are making advances not by simply mimicking nature, but by letting themselves first be inspired by and understand natural systems and components, and then building upon this understanding.

Blottman also refers to his work with Shashank Priya, a Virginia Tech materials engineering professor, who has become a key figure in the growing energy-harvesting and bioinspired materials such as artificial muscles, skin, actuators and sensors.

Run time: 12 minutes.

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