Civionics is the combination of civil engineering with electronics engineering, in a manner similar to avionics (aviation and electronics) and mechatronics (mechanical engineering and electronics). An emerging discipline, the main application area of civionics is currently the use of electronics for structural health monitoring (SHM) of civil structures,[1] particularly photonics (Fiber Optic Bragg Grating).
In SHM, Civionics provides engineers with the feedback necessary to aid in optimised design techniques and an understanding of infrastructure performance, behaviour and state of condition. The successful integration of intelligent sensing of innovative structures allows civil structural engineers to expand the design envelope by taking risks when introducing new design concepts, materials and innovation.[2]
Civionic engineering applications include integrating science and technology from both new and traditional disciplines, including civil, structural, and electronics engineering; structural health monitoring, deformation monitoring, data acquisition, signal processing, metrology, telemetry, remote sensing, and other applications.
https://web.archive.org/web/20081011151259/http://www.specialtyphotonics.com/pdf/knowledge_base/sensor%20brochure%2005.pdf Furukawa Electric: Sensor Fibers]