Every wall in a modern building hides a quiet, constant source of energy that nobody uses. The copper wiring that carries household and office electricity produces a weak, oscillating magnetic field around it, sixty times a second in North America. Researchers at the University of Arkansas and the University of Michigan have now shown that this stray field can do useful work: it can keep a tiny temperature sensor running with no battery at all.
According to the University of Arkansas announceme...
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sensors
Hydrogel superglue is 90 percent water.
Nature has developed innovative ways to solve a sticky challenge. Mussels and barnacles stubbornly glue themselves to cliff faces, ship hulls, and even the skin of whales. Likewise, tendons and cartilage stick to bone with incredible robustness, giving animals flexibility and agility. The natural adhesive in all these cases is hydrogel, a sticky mix of water and gummy material that creates a tough and durable bond.
Engineers at MIT have developed a method to make synthetic, sticky hydrogel th...
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Turn paper into pencils with the P&P office waste paper processor
An innovative device which has been developed by Chinese designers Chengzhu Ruan, Yuanyuan Liu, Xinwei Yuan and Chao Chen is a P&P Office Waste Processor takes in paper in your office basket and produces fully formed pencils out at the press of a button.
The designers make the clever connection between an office’s waste stream and supply needs with a satisfying design that produces something truly useful.
The literature says you simply feed a sheet of paper into the top and the device ...
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Sugru: First ever Moldable Glue that Turns into Rubber
Sugru is a moldable putty made out of silicone rubber and can be used to repair electronics along with its many other uses.
Designer-inventor Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh’s unique silicone technology, Sugru feels like play-dough, and it's that easy to use too.
Sugru is a moldable putty made out of silicone rubber and can be used to repair electronics along with its many other uses.
The product adheres to many surfaces, fills in gaps better than most glues and sets in 30 minutes giving you tim...
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Clues to Waterproof Glue Found in Antarctic Creature
Scientists are recycling nutrients in the oceans to make waterproof glue.
Today, animal glues made from bone glue, hide or skin glue, and fish glue are sparsely used for making and restoring objects, paintings, and illuminated parchment manuscripts due to difficulty of storage in a wet state and constant requirement for fresh raw materials.
For 20 years, Sam Bowser, a scientist at the New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center, has been doing research on a single-celled creatur...
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