Dive Summary:

• Researchers at the University of Delaware say they have developed a sort of smart skin that can be added to structures to alert people of impending failures.
• Erik Thostenson and Thomas Schumacher are working with nanotubes of composite materials to create a conductive covering that is sensitive to changes in strain and to damage in the underlying structure.
• The pair say the skin could be either a structural element that adds strength to something that has been damaged or can be just a monitoring mechanism.

From the article:

In August 2007, the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145. The collapse was attributed to a design deficiency that resulted in a gusset plate failing during ongoing construction work. ...