Engineers from the Advanced Technology Center of British Aerospace (BAE) Systems have developed a "smart skin" coating for airplanes that lets the pilot know when the aircraft has sustained damage.

The concept was inspired by how humans react to pain. When a person sustains an injury or is hurt, he reacts quickly to avoid further damage.

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This kind of a reaction isn't the case with planes, however. Pilots could be flying for hours without realizing the aircraft's fuselage has been damaged.

BAE's new technology will give a plane the ability to "feel" when it gets hurt.

This "feeling" will be imparted by a synthetic and spray-on coating that will allow the plane to sense when it's been damaged.

These micro-sensors will also be able to sense wind speed, temperature, movement and physical strain.

It allows the plane to monitor its health, lessening the need for inspections and check-ups on the ground.

The efficacy of airplane maintenance looks to be increased with BAE's new technology.

The coating will also likely be created with thousands of sensors that will be as small as grains of rice or dust particles. The sensors will be less than one millimeter squared in size.

Senior Research Scientist Lydia Hyde said she got the idea when observing how a sensor stops a domestic appliance from overheating.

She thought of replacing one huge sensor with small, cheap and multifunctional sensors that can be used in airplanes, cars, and whatever vehicle imaginable.

In the future, we could see military weapons capable of more complex missions that reduce the need for routine maintenance checks.

"There are also wider civilian applications for the concept which we are exploring," Hyde said.

TagsBAE, AIRPLANES, Smart Skin