I am personally very excited about how these futuristic
materials will play into our daily lives. I encourage everyone to check out the
link below. The article has some very cool new technologies that are just a few
years down the road and make use of materials we have not encountered before.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
WHAT MATERIALS WILL BE MOST PREVALENT AND INFLUENTIAL IN THE FUTURE? post by Mike Harry
It seems that every week some new piece of technology is
unveiled that is going to "completely revolutionize" the way we
operate from day to day. Whether it is successful or not at doing so varies.
One thing is certain though, the world is turning out better and better stuff
faster than ever. This is even the case in materials science, I am sure you can
think of several new materials that have emerged in the past few years, we have
even discussed several in class. I have found myself reading several
speculative articles about how materials will soon change our lives.
For example, currently in development is something called
NeverWet. NeverWet is a superhydrophobic spray that can be applied to any
surface to make liquids roll right off. Soon enough cell phones will be
completely waterproof and your shower won't accumulate hard water buildup.
Another interesting futuristic material technology is self-healing concrete. It
is very apparent that our nation's infrastructure is in need of constant
repair. What if our roads fixed themselves? What if everywhere you drove was as
smooth as a freshly paved stretch of highway?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
These new discoveries of materials are so interesting. I think the most important thing for us to do as engineers and scientists is to find out a way to make these implementations of new materials efficient, in other words imlpement them as soon as we discover them. I think that there is a lot of delay for our reaction time when we find solutions to something, or maybe it just seems like this to me because there are so many material problems that need fixing (ie. the infrastructure in need of repair), and the transition is difficult.
ReplyDeleteWhat confuses me is the cause to wait so long. For example if these solutions help fix the problem, are they not implemented because they are under heavy review or testing, because other companies seek gains that the solution may hinder, because they are too expensive, etc.??
What do you guys think?
I think the reason why we see long delays with certain products has to do with money and politics. Companies have a vested interest in keeping their product on the market. This often time means that when a new product comes out a company will actively lobby against that product. This is most obvious in the energy industry where oil and coal companies actively campaign against new types of energy. The other issue is that often times the people who approve materials and products for consumer use do not have much knowledge about the products they are approving. They rely on the presentations of scientist and company lobbyist to make there decisions and often times the companies are much more persuasive then scientist.
DeleteDenis, as someone who loves to see awesome new technologies hit the market, I completely agree with you. However, like you suggested and as Brad said, I think there are several factors hindering rapid advancement of technology.
DeleteThe largest of these factors is money, to implement a new material requires a very large capital investment. Should the new technology be supplanted as soon as the next great thing comes along, companies would spend themselves out of business.
Also, safety may be an issue, new materials may have modes of failure we are not aware of, and until extensive testing is completed they may not be suitable for use.
It is very exciting to see new technologies and materials being created in recent years. Each of these materials are helping better our style of life, health, and other various aspects in society. I think as previously stated, money is one reason why it takes so long to be implemented, but additionally, I strongly believe that safety is a main concern when implementing a new discovery.
ReplyDeleteWhen new materials or inventions are created, making sure humans safety is not jeopardized is of dire importance. Making the sure the material does not react unexpectedly or affect humans takes time and money. After researchers have come up with these new materials they have to make sure it will be not only make society for efficient but also keep humans safe.
In addition, sometimes we fail to remember that politics plays a vital role in science as well. As we create these various materials and inventions, we have to make sure it abides by the laws and cultural values of some countries. Therefore, after a material is perfected, it must be evaluated so that the laws and values surrounding countries is approved.
I love seeing these new technologies every time they're unveiled. It makes me excited to see a glimpse of the future before everyone else. The idea of being able to eat the packaging of our foods is great- think of how much less waste we'd have to throw away whenever we buy fast foods.
ReplyDeleteThe "spray-on" line of products seems especially interesting to me because it most resembles the visions of the future we get from science fiction shows like the Jetsons. It would allow us to create something important and usable from something as small as a spray can. It baffles my mind to just think about where we could go from antennae and liquid glass.