Like shape memory polymers, a novel phenomenon of stress memory was shown in which the stress of a material can respond to an external stimulus. This concept was further enlightened by a switch-spring-frame model that would eliminate the limitation of existing models which overlooked the stimulus responsive nature of such polymers. The discovery being reported in this article was stemmed from a real case study into shape memory polymer fibers in compression stocking for varicose veins. The breakthrough of stress memory enabled researchers to develop applications needing stimuliresponsive forces, which can broaden the horizon of such smart polymers in emerging smart products in many multidisciplinary fields such as sensors, stress garments, and massage devices, electronic skins, and artificial muscles. V C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 893-898 KEYWORDS: smart compression stocking; stimuli responsive polymer; stress memory; switch-spring-frame model INTRODUCTION Polymers responsive to an external stimulus are smart materials adaptive to our human demands.
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