...If we can achieve this, then one day whole rooms, buildings, perhaps even bridges may generate their own energy, funnel it to where it is needed, detect damage, and self-heal. If this seems like science fiction, bear in mind that it is only what living materials do already.
Mark Miodownik, Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World
material-science, science, science-fiction