Results for 'nanotubes'
Science
The Sponge That Can Absorb 180 Times Its Own Weight In Sludge
7:19AM John Herrman | That tiny, plastic-looking black cube up there can absorb up to 180 times its own weight in toxic waste without absorbing any water. How? As with just about every amazing and/or inexplicable scientific breakthrough nowadays, the answer is spelled N-A-N-O. More »
Screens
OLED Displays Go Rubbery
12:50AM Mark Wilson | Researchers from the University of Tokyo have created OLED displays that have all the durability of a super ball. More »
Music
Giz Explains: Speakers From the Future
4:00AM Matt Buchanan | Last week, we explained the difference between $US100 and $US100,000 speakers. But in the name of clarity, we focused on traditional loudspeakers, around longer than Keith Richards. Here are the newer crazier types. More »
Science
New NASA Carbon Material Could Make Space Elevators Possible
11:20AM Sean Fallon | The idea of an elevator that could transport humans into space with ease has long been a fantasy of science fiction writers. However, a new form of carbon ribbon could actually make it possible. More »
Science
Carbon Nanotube-Coated Threads Make Wearable, Biosensing Electronics
2:45AM Kit Eaton | Wonder material the carbon nanotube has another new application: A team at the University of Michigan has worked out how to coat cotton threads with a polymer and nanotube mix to produce conductive mini-cables. Conductive threads per se aren’t new, but they generally involve metal which limits their utility—this new material is flexible enough to be woven, won’t corrode, and can carry enough current to light up an LED. Crazily the tubes are also suitable for clinical and chemical biosensing, which could point the way for uses in future military wear. [TechnologyReview] More »
Science
Nano Silver May Be Envionment’s Silver Bullet
12:00AM Mark Wilson | The UK’s Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution has recently released a report urging for more study of nano-engineered materials, warning that there is a “major gap” in our knowledge of this technology. We’ve covered the potential dangers of carbon nanotubes here before, but the commission also warns about nano silver, an antibacterial particle that can be found in a variety of clothing, like socks. And in fact, the commission Chair refuses to wear such clothing at all:
Science
Nanobama: Barack Obama in Nanotubes
8:20AM Mark Wilson | A technique known as nanolithography was used to build these Obama faces, combining 150 million carbon nanotubes to construct each individual half-millimeter visage. Depending on your political leanings, the result is either the cutest wittle powitician ever or proof that science, in the wrong hands, will engineer miniature robotic Democrats who distract with a message of hope while eating our flesh. As for the undecideds…I’ll be honest here. I’m so sick of hearing what those dudes “think.” [Flickr via Wired] More »
Science
Nanotube Speaker Film: Transparent, Stretchy, Likes Moldovan Pop
8:15PM John Herrman | Scientists at Tsinghua University in Beijing have just perfected a process by which nanotubes can be coaxed to emit sound, allowing for the construction of ultra-thin, transparent, flexible ’speakers’, demonstrated above affixed to a waving flag. Unlike normal speakers, which produce sound with direct vibration, these sheets produce sound with wildly fluctuating temperatures that create pressure oscillations in the surrounding air. In other words, these nanotube speakers — in contrast to other forays into flat sound production — don’t vibrate at all. More »
Science
50 Consumer Technologies Developed by NASA in the Last 50 Years
4:45AM Mark Wilson | Every year NASA publishes a new edition of their Spinoff magazine, a periodical that outlines NASA-based technologies that have disseminated into everyday devices, improving our lives beyond giving us some nifty new desktop wallpapers. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Spinoff, and to celebrate, NASA has created a “best of” list (that we pasted after the jump). From the aerodynamic principles applied to tractor trailers to advanced imaging techniques that allow 360-degree Real Estate photo tours, NASA demonstrates that their technological breakthroughs are about more than just sticking an American flag on the moon. More »
Science
