This is interesting, I'm curious what applications this would be useful for. They hint at some potential uses toward the end, but don't elaborate much.
Presumably it'd be useful in applications where the parts would normally fail regularly.
Presumably it'd be useful in applications where the parts would normally fail regularly.
Furthermore, vehicles basically just bounce off the structural elements of bridges and other structures like that. It's not really a problem.
If anything we'll see this kind of stuff used in expensive niche applications. Low volume bespoke electronics in high vibration environments would benefit from being able to "heal" like this. I can also see it being useful when applied as a coating that protects the material underneath, basically a self touching up paint job (like galvanizing, but possibly with a wider array of materials than just zinc). This could be very useful for items in corrosive environments.