Wednesday, March 28, 2012

New plastic bleeds and heals like human skin

New plastic bleeds and heals like human skin: "Gizmag regulars will be well-used to the idea of self-healing materials, and even materials that repair themselves when exposed to light; but a new plastic demonstrated to the American Chemical Society on Monday purports to be the first self-healing material to incorporate a damage-reporting mechanism, almost akin to the bleeding of human skin."

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LANL pulsed magnet smashes the 100 Tesla magnetic pulse barrier

LANL pulsed magnet smashes the 100 Tesla magnetic pulse barrier: "Round performance numbers aren't necessarily important milestones, but they do exude an undeniable aura of accomplishment. This was the case when researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) used their largest pulsed magnet to crack the 100 Tesla mark (roughly 2 million times larger than the Earth's magnetic field) by generating a 100.75 Tesla magnetic pulse without damaging the magnet."

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Super-buoyant material inspired by water striders

Super-buoyant material inspired by water striders: "Aerogels are among the lightest solid materials in existence, and are created by replacing the liquid component of a gel with a gas – this results in their extremely low density, and has earned them the nickname of “frozen smoke.” Now, scientists have created a new type of aerogel that is inspired by the feet of the water strider. The material is reportedly so buoyant, that a boat made from one pound (454 grams) of it could carry about 1,000 pounds (454 kg) of cargo."

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Liquid-like compound could lead to better thermoelectric devices

Liquid-like compound could lead to better thermoelectric devices: "Thermoelectric materials work by converting differences in temperature into electric voltage. If two parts of such a material experience significantly different temperatures, electrons within it will flow from the warmer part to the cooler, creating an electrical current in the process."

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Israeli Army's hands-free "Human Backpack" for rescue operations

Israeli Army's hands-free "Human Backpack" for rescue operations: "We were almost afraid to click on the link for a "human backpack" that we recently came across. Turns out, though, it's not a horror movie prop, but a backpack designed to carry humans. It's a military/survival accessory created to carry your buddy out of the field on your back."

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