Smart contact lenses have been the stuff of science fiction for a long time, but as with jetpacks and faster-than-light travel, we’re still waiting on them. Research is ongoing, though, and a project at the University of Ghent shows promise not just in advancing the technology but providing some therapeutic value as well. Read More
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This ‘artificial iris’ is like a pair of programmable shades in contact lens form
A company called Polysis specializes in producing polyurethane resins, and with their secret recipe of herbs and spices they’ve produced a peculiar plastic called “haplafreely.” What’s unique about the stuff is that simply dropping it into a glass of hot water turns it into a clay-like substance that can be freely molded by hand; once it cools back to room temperature, it hardens again, while maintaining its new shape. Check this out: I wonder how well the stuff “molds.” For example, let’s say you needed to take an impression of something, like a stamped tin ceiling in an old building. It would be neat if you could capture the impression of a tile, then bring the haplafreely back to the 3D scanner in your office and capture the pattern in software, for later reproduction. I could also see survivalists taking a shine to the stuff, particularly those folks who improvise their own tools; haplafreely could provide an instant ergonomic handle as long as you had access to water and flame. It’s also bound to have some applications for modelmaking and prototyping, and I like that it can be reused again and again. If you had access to the stuff, what would you use it for?
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Plastic That Turns Into Clay and Back Again
We all know that iCloud syncs up items like photos, contacts, reminders, calendar events, and iMessage conversations, but chances are you’ve noticed that it also syncs up a few other little things. Finer Things in Tech is putting together a list of those unexpected synced items. Read more…
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All the Stuff iCloud Syncs Besides the Obvious
Lignum Vitae, Latin for “Tree of Life, ” is the national tree of the Bahamas. It’s also the world’s densest wood, and has such unusual properties that the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, has its aft main shaft strut bearings made out of the stuff. In addition to being strong, hard, heavy, dense, water- and salt-water-resistant, Lignum Vitae contains natural oils that make the bearings self-lubricating. The USS Nautilus isn’t an anomaly; Lignum Vitae has been used as propellor shaft bearings in conventional ships, and hydroelectric plants dating back to the 1920s have used bearings for their turbines made out of the stuff. Virginia-based Lignum Vitae Bearings calls their product “the world’s only renewable (and greenest) bearing on the market.” Company President Bob Shortridge has acquired land in the Bahamas, one of the tree’s native origin islands, and plants at least one Lignum Vitae tree for every block of the stuff that passes through his facility. “Although Lignum Vitae has been harvested for over 500 years before I was born, ” Shortridge writes, “I feel an obligation to replace it… I wish for this incredibly useful wood to be available for generations to come.” Here’s Shortridge himself explaining Lignum Vitae’s properties and applications: (more…)
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Lignum Vitae: Wood So Bad-Ass, It’s Used to Make Shaft Bearings for Nuclear Submarines (and More)