&lt;p&gt;This control methodology utilizes real-time vehicle structural load and&amp;nbsp;shape measurements to actively respond to and protect against vehicle&amp;nbsp;damage due to structural overload. The innovation utilizes critical point&amp;nbsp;load feedback within an optimal control allocation architecture that&amp;nbsp;constrains the load at those critical points while still producing the&amp;nbsp;control response commanded by a pilot. Specifically, the technology&amp;nbsp;monitors the loads at critical control points and shifts the loading away&amp;nbsp;from points at or near their limits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Work to date:&lt;/strong&gt; Using NASA&amp;rsquo;s Full-Scale Advanced Systems Testbed&amp;nbsp;(FAST) aircraft, the Armstrong team targeted the aileron hinge connection&amp;nbsp;as a critical control point. The experiment produced successful results in simulation and flight, preventing structural overload and yielding good handling&amp;nbsp;characteristics for optimization metrics and load constraint types.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Looking ahead:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;This effort led to being awarded an ARMD seedling fund phase one to further develop the technique and expand the work to other autonomy efforts.&amp;nbsp;Future tests will&amp;nbsp;employ more advanced and unique sensor technologies, such as fiber&amp;nbsp;optic strain sensors. This technology could open the door to truly novel&amp;nbsp;approaches to vehicle and control system design.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Benefits&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Effective:&lt;/strong&gt; Identifies the optimum control&amp;nbsp;surface usage for a given maneuver for both&amp;nbsp;performance and structural loading&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Automated:&lt;/strong&gt; Monitors and alleviates stress&amp;nbsp;on critical load points in real time&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Economical:&lt;/strong&gt; Decreases the need for&amp;nbsp;repairs and general maintenance&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Applications&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Jet aircraft&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Rocket controls&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Industrial robotics&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Structural health monitoring and load alleviation&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;