Smart paint creates chameleon tanks

A team of researchers based at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, along with the US Army's Armament Research and Development Center are working on the smart machines.

Military vehicles including tanks, trucks helicopters and weapon systems will be covered with a coating that has been embedded with nanotechnology.

The microscopic electromechanical machines - known as nanomachines - will send signals to Army personnel, alerting them if the coating is impaired.

Chameleon tanks

If tanks are corroded or scratched, the vehicles will be able to detect it and heal themselves.

The coatings could also reduce the sensitivity of explosives, making them safer for soldiers to handle.

Perhaps most importantly, tanks would turn chameleon, creating instant camouflage and making themselves virtually invisible on the battlefield.

"Smart coatings technology will make our armed forces more hi-tech and more effective," said New Jersey Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen.

The US army is keen on the idea of smart coatings because the paints used now are expensive and labour-intensive to apply.

Army leaders estimate that the cost of repairing vehicles' surfaces amounts to $10bn each year, $2bn of which is related to painting and scraping.