Product Inspiration

Up until the last few years, whenever I thought of bacteria, thoughts of sickness and rotting food came to mind. Now, I’m learning that bacteria are being harnessed to do all kinds of work for us- from generating electricity, to processing waste, to sensing chemicals. Here’s another notch in bacteria’s belt of achievements, as they’ve just been proven to clean water for drinking.

Basically, the bacteria are put into the unprocessed water, and consume any contaminants present. This takes a lot of the load off of the expensive and sensitive membranes that are used to purify the water further down the pipe.

With all of these cool abilities, bacteria are becoming less of a nuisance and more of a development platform to build new technologies on. Cool!

http://www.physorg.com/news122896811.html

Stitches could soon be a thing of the past, as this new surgical tape promises to heal wounds better and less problematic than conventional wound closure tools. The tape uses a combination of adhesives and nano pillars to create a strong bond, and is bio-degradable so that an internal (or external, for that matter) wound can be left untouched without any need to go back later and remove stitches.

In addition, the tape has micro-pockets built in that can hold medication, which could further speed the healing process and prevent infections.

This gecko tape concept has been making lots of news lately, and while its not yet really cheap enough to manufacture in large quantities, it will make a significant splash someday.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/20301/

With recent advancements in the manufacture of nano-size coatings and particles, there is a growing number of products which offer “self-cleaning” capabilities. Some of these products are simply hydrophobic (repels water), so that no sticky liquids collect on the surfaces. Others incorporate nanoparticles of silver to kill any bacteria which land on them. In particular, these silver nanoparticles have made quite an impact, and are now in everything from door handles to pens to infant shoes.

These particular products use nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, which reacts with light to break down any organic material. So far, the nanoparticle coating has been applied to bathroom fixtures and windows. Much like the silver nanoparticle boom, I bet we will see a bunch more applications where titanium dioxide particles are used to keep surfaces clean, such as on cars, patio furniture, and even perhaps clothing.

Where else would it be nice to have a self-cleaning product?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4696434.stm

http://corporateportal.ppg.com/NA/Glass/ResidentialGlass/Homeowners/Pr oductInformation/SunClean/

An essential part of product development is analyzing the failure modes for a particular product. This ensures that the product will (probably) not fail after just a few uses. In many applications where every penny (or gram) counts, making the product work just long enough to be satisfactory without over-engineering it is one of the most exhaustive and difficult parts of the design and manufacturing process.

Up until recently, if any part of the case or structure failed, it meant that the entire system would fail, necessitating all kinds of careful analysis and design to reduce the chance of this happening. Now, self-healing materials are showing some promise for the not-too-distant future.

Not long ago, a material was developed which contained microcapsules or micro-channels of epoxy which would be ruptured if the material was broken or cut, and the epoxy would heal the ‘wound’. click here for more info

Now, this new development doesn’t even need such epoxy to heal itself, but instead uses a novel new molecular design to ‘grow’ over cuts and breaks. Granted, this is very early in development, but once such a seemingly magic material becomes feasible to use in commercial products, it could make a massive impact on the way we see and create new products.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7254939.stm

Technorati : rubber, self healing

This new coating protects concrete from water-related damage, one of the biggest causes of failure and wear in buildings and roads. The coating is actually a powder of materials which fill in the cracks and voids in the concrete, and form a strong, impenetrable layer on the outside of the concrete. While the implications of this new technology may not be super wide reaching (crack prevention in other materials?), the ability to extend the life of a concrete structure may save loads of money for businesses and governments.

http://www.tfot.info/pod/1087/waterproof-concrete.html

Years ago, fiber optics were touted as the ‘next big thing’ in digital communication, and plans were made to bring optical fiber connectivity into every house. Unfortunately, these high quality glass fibers are quite expensive, and the effort fell short of its goals because of this high cost.

Recent advancements in plastics quality and manufacturing has opened the door for plastic optical fibers which provide the same optical data transmission capabilities at a fraction of the cost. A new European initiative is underway to get such plastic optical fibers made and ready for mass deployment.

If this effort is successful, we could see a reinvigoration of the 20 year old effort to get optical connections to all homes and buildings. For us rural-yet-technologically-inclined folks, this is music to our ears.

http://www.physorg.com/news119110397.html

A few years ago, scientists discovered that geckos do not use any type of glue or adhesive to walk up walls. This is possible because millions of tiny hairs on the gecko foot adhere to the wall through Van Der Waals forces, which are basically small attractions between molecules that are close together. The small forces add up over the millions of hairs, creating a very strong bond.

Since this discovery, scientists have been working vigorously on creating a tape or glue which mimics this method. A recent prototype shows that a tiny square (2cm) of this material can hold up to a pound of weight.

At some point, we will probably see some useful new ‘tape’ for hanging posters (and paintings) on walls from this innovation, and maybe even some far-out science-fiction stuff like suits for climbing walls.

http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2008/02/gecko_glue.html

As you may know, oil and grease stick to just about anything, and can be quite a problem when you are doing your laundry. Well, the eggheads at MIT have developed a new “oleophobic” material which virtually repels oil. At a microscopic level, the material is a mat of fibers made of fluoroPOSS. The resulting effect is that oil droplets are cradled by the material, maintaining the low surface tension of the oil droplets and allowing them to roll off.

While the more novel applications like grease - free automotive attire may come to mind first, there are actually some other uses with much higher potential impact. For example, oil system seals and reservoirs could be improved to use less oil and prevent leaks with this material. Could there also be a use for this in the cleanup of oil spills?

http://www.designnews.com/article/CA6514279.html?nid=2878

Piezoelectric materials generate a voltage when compressed, and expand when a voltage is applied to them. This unique effect holds lots of value for generating electricity from everyday motion such as walking and pushing buttons. Unfortunately, the power generated by this material is extremely small, and very few practical applications have been made which are powered by piezo-based generation.

This new material improves both the form and the electrical output of piezoelectric materials, putting them one step closer to lots of real world applications. Instead of the typical thin, fragile strip of crystals, this new material is flexible and robust, capable of performing in a wide variety of conditions. While it will probably not be the market busting breakthrough that piezo enthusiasts such as me are looking for, its a great step in the right direction, and keeps the flame of hope alive that the (practical) walking-powered human computer is not too far away.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/12/micro-fiber-com.html

While oil is the crucial material for both keeping cars running and lubricating the many moving parts, the molecular structure of the compound doesn’t always play nice with soft rubbers and plastics. Its potent chemical nature can break down and dissolve many different materials, making a need for frequent repairs and gasket replacements.

Unlike water, oil has a very low surface tension, which is why it spreads out so smoothly and evenly on flat surfaces (hence, why its a great lubricant). This new material repels oil by cradling droplets in a fabric of tiny fibers which have very low surface energy. The new material and related discoveries could lead to all kinds of applications from new gaskets to cleaner mechanic clothing by resisting oil’s tendency to grab and spread all over surfaces and fabrics.

http://www.physorg.com/news116172451.html

Technorati : fabric, oil repellant