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Smart Sutures Tie Themselves

Posted by michael on from the rabbit-goes-around-the-tree-and-down-the-hole dept.

edwilli writes "Scientific American has an interesting article on "smart" thermoplastic materal that can tie itself into a knot. Finally you can throw away those velcro shoes."

6 of 14 comments (clear)

  1. A real challenge by Darth_brooks · · Score: 3, Funny

    And thus an old and outdated practical joke gains new life: Shoes that tie themselves together

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    There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
  2. Re:Wait... by tps12 · · Score: 2
    Or like a self-tying suture? j/k, thx for the heads up.

    ;)

    --

    Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
  3. Self-tying shoes by !splut · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well, it'd be great if I had a pair of thermoplastic shoelaces that snugly knotted themselves for me. It wouldn't be so great if I needed a knife to get my shoes off. Can these things be untangled?

    --
    The angel in the oatmeal.
  4. Old by Transcendent · · Score: 3, Informative

    I've seen material like this years ago. They did it on Beyond 2000 or some show like that on the Discovery Channel. They showed how you can bend this material (they spelled a name) into a shape, then dip it in a chemical, straighten it out agian, and when you apply heat, it goes right back to how it was. (the order of events may be off, but thats basically how it went)

  5. Re:awesome by carlos_benj · · Score: 2, Funny

    This is going to be just like in Back to the Future...

    So they could combine that movie with "Doc Hollywood" where he wants to be a plastic surgeon in Hollywood and he can still drive a cool car, be a country doc and travel ahead in time to learn new surgical techniques and bring back new gadgets and they could call it "Back to the Suture: A Stitch in Time"

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    --

    As a matter of fact, I am a lawyer. But I play an actor on TV.

  6. Didn't really tie itself did it. by mindstrm · · Score: 3, Insightful

    All it did was tighten itself up.

    They heat it up, it shrinks, and tightens the knot nicely.

    Useful, but not exactly a self tying knot.