imec, Ghent University and their partners in the European FP7 project SMARTFIBER have demonstrated the world’s first miniaturized fiber-optical sensor system than can be fully embedded in a composite material. This achievement paves the way toward smart composites that enable continued and automatic monitoring of the structural health of the composite material in – for example – tidal blades, wind turbines, airplanes (fuselage, wings or more) or marine structures (masts, antennas, hu...