For centuries it has been the desire of human beings to ?nd better and better materials to achieve a variety of bene?ts for the mankind. This has been in vogue from the stone-age. The recent revolution discovering Smart Materials and Fu- tionally Graded Materials is one of those attempts. These materials are inherently multi functionaland theyopenedup possibilities whichcouldnot beimaginedinthe past. Materials can take a particulartype of energystimulusas input andgeneratean output belonging to a different type of energy. Typical example has been materials on which a mechanical force can produce electrical output. We are in twenty?rst century where in materials Research will totally concentrate on these new concepts and exploit them for variety of applications. Structural Health Monitoring leading to safety of operationsis the primary applicationthe aerospace, mechanical,nuclear and civil engineers will be expecting from this research. The Micro- and Na- scale sensors and actuators form the basis for this technology and Departments of Science and Technology in all the countries are investing heavily on this highly potential ?eld. InIndia,thescienti?cgroupinthisareaisactiveforthepastdecade. Theyformed in 1999 a professional society named as Institute of Smart Structures & Systems (ISSS) which has been holding National and International seminars and also he- ing the government departments to fund research and development of relevance to this novel materials and structures. National Program on Smart Materials (NPSM) and the second phase program NPMASS are the consequences of these efforts.
