The trick is to treat the composite like a living organ, not a single pipe. First, build in redundancy—layer the material so one failed micro‑cell isn’t the whole failure. Second, make the healing trigger less sensitive to vibration or temperature; let it respond only to real structural damage, not to the day‑to‑day jostle. Third, run a real‑time health monitor: a few embedded sensors can flag when the healing response slows down, so the swarm can shift load or deploy backup units. Finally, keep the chemistry simple—complicated healing pathways are great in the lab but break fast when exposed to dust, oils, or unexpected chemicals. Think of the composite as a forest: many weak trees can survive a storm, but a single, well‑placed stump can keep the canopy intact.