Inflatable and other membrane structures are expectedto become increasingly important in space exploration due totheir light weight and low cost. Unlike rigid structures, thesestructures are typically fabricated of flexible polymers andrequire internal pressurization to achieve structural integrity. Due to this, inflatable structures are vulnerableto the harsh space environment and catastrophic failure fromstructural vibration. A MEMS-based health monitoring andcontrol system (HMCS) for space inflatables has been developedat the University of Arkansas. Fabricated mostly from polymericmaterials, the HMCS is lightweight, flexible and can beattached directly to the external surface of an inflatable toprovide health monitoring. Structure-wise, the HMCS is athree-dimensional multichip module with a sensor layer atthe top, a common polyimide substrate in the middle and anactuator layer at the bottom. The sensor layer consists of aninterconnected network of MEMS sensors for monitoring theenvironmental conditions around the inflatable and also thestructural vibration of the inflatable. The actuator layer,fabricated from electroactive polymers, provides atwo-dimensional shape control capability to the HMCS. Whenoperated with strain and vibration sensors in the sensorlayer, the polymer actuator can deform the surface contour ofthe inflatable to remove `wrinkles' and dampen structuralvibration.
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