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Ceramic Paper
Elastic vanadium pentoxide paper Ceramics are among the oldest materials manipulated by humans, and their properties of rigidity and brittleness are quite familiar. Scientists at the University of Stuttgart Institute for Materials Science have demonstrated that
Tunable Material
Liquid film with switchable properties Dynamic natural processes are inspiring a new generation of adaptive material technologies. The tears that coat human eyes, for example, are fascinating for their ability to maintain optical clarity, provide protection
Smart Concrete
Stress-detecting concrete Smart concrete is capable of sensing the increase of stresses and early formation of cracks in concrete. This capacity is achieved by adding short carbon fibers to a standard concrete mix. In the presence
Non Linear
Flexible interconnected lighting system Non Linear is a system of modular LED luminaires made of transparent acrylic. The individual lighting components consist of 1″-thick machined material with inlaid LED bands. The collection consists of full-color RGB
Vascular Skin
Responsive membrane window Hydrogels are polymeric materials capable of retaining large quantities of water within three-dimensional networks. Researchers at the MIT Media Lab sought to explore the hydrophilic-hydrophobic phase transition in hydrogels, which occurs slightly above
Swing Time
Interactive illuminated playscape Swing Time is an illuminated playscape consisting of twenty interactive swings. Designed to provide an ad hoc city park by activating unused urban spaces, Swing Time offers three different sizes of light-emitting, ring-shaped
Watershed Block
Cement-free concrete masonry unit Watershed Block is an ecologically responsive and attractive replacement for the traditional concrete block (CMU), one of the most commonly used building materials. Watershed Materials, a technology start-up in Napa, California supported
Photoluminescent Bioplastic
Light-emitting biopolymer Bioplastics offer a broad range of characteristics suitable for design and architectural applications. Architect Peter Yeadon experiments with various configurations of bioplastics and dopes them with selected impurities to enhance their properties. Yeadon eschews
Flash-Formed Iron
Gas-reduction ironmaking process Although steel is the most recycled material globally, steel manufacture is still energy-intensive and exhibits a high carbon footprint. Scientists at the University of Utah have evaluated the conventional steel manufacturing process to
Orimetric
Rubberized origami textile Orimetric is a flexible, structured textile made from geometric patterns derived from origami. Trex Lab Technology has developed a series of material-molding and die-pressing processes that make sharp crease patterns in flat materials,
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