Magneto-Rheological Fluid...the coolest thing EVER!!

As a student in the automotive technology department I get to explore the many recent innovations in my field. Not the newest but arguably one of the most important is the use of magneto-rheological fluid in shock absorbers. This substantial part of any vehicles suspension system acts as a damper, without these dampers the oscillations of the vehicles springs (another suspension system component) would be prolonged. When a vehicle goes over a bump the springs would continue to expand and contract until they absorbed the energy if it wasn't for the shock absorbers.
Shock absorbers are hydraulic, they are filled with oil and sometimes Nitrogen gas. "A shock absorber works on the principle of fluid displacement on both its compression (jounce) and extension (rebound) cycles." (Erjavec Pg. 1116) They essentially consist of two chambers, a piston, and valve. The fluid is moved from one chamber to the other through the valve. When this transition takes place the piston moves either up or down elongating or shortening the shock absorber. An effective and common type of shock absorber is gas assisted. There are two pistons in this system, and as the oil is pushed upward the nitrogen is compressed. the gas aids in forcing the piston back up and returning the damper to it's original position. This system was one of the most technologically advanced.
Lord company has revolutionized the shock absorber, and blown the conventional gas assist shock out of the water. They use magneto-rheological fluid, composed of iron particles, and synthetic oil, mineral oil, water or glycol. When this mixture contacts a magnetic field it turns into a viscoelastic solid, resisting the pressure from the vehicle and road. The solid does not allow the shock to move providing a more comfortable ride. They are electronically controlled via a sensor and small wire connected to the shock absorber. This phase changing compound increases ride (the feeling of the car during turning and over bumps.) It almost disproves the rule stating that as ride increases handling decreases. "In an MR suspension, controllable MR fluid replaces traditional hydraulic fluid in each shock absorber. As sensors monitor road and vehicle conditions, a controller modifies the damping characteristics up to one thousand times per second. This enables dramatic improvements in both ride comfort and handling." (Lord Corporation)
This system is much more expensive however more effective. It is used on the Acura MDX, Audi TT, Audi R8, Buick Lucerne,Cadillac DTS, Cadillac SLR, Cadillac SRX, Cadillac STS, Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari 599GTB, and Holden HSV Commodore. We are going over steering and suspension in shop (if you couldn't tell.) I find that writing about something helps me better understand it, so this was my attempt at understanding the system.