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Plastic That Changes Shape In Light
JLavezzo writes "Picture a flower that opens when facing the sunlight. In work that mimics that sensitivity to light, MIT Engineer Robert Langer and his German colleagues have created the first plastics that can be deformed and temporarily fixed into shape by light. This material could one day lead to medical devices that build themselves inside a patient's body, or door latches that can be opened with a flashlight. Additional commentary available at The Science Blog"
They, the scientists, have been able to do this for some time with
C 55 D-FA8F-1C5F-B882809EC588ED9F
heat. The link below is to an article that shows a 30 gram weight
being lifted and lowered by a type of polymer know as nematic
elastomers.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0007
they also say in the above article(link) that, "..light can also induce
shape changes anywhere from 10 to 400 percent [in the polymer]."
However, it takes a hours for it to return to the original shape.
One of the best applications,in my opinion, for any fast-acting shape
changing polymer would be as artificial muscles. Not sure how
practical or easy that might be. You would have to get the temperature
range, where the shape changing takes place, down pretty low and find
a way to control it outside of the body's heat influence. I am sure
there are other problems as well.
--greg Vulcan quiescent... Q: What machine shutdown with this message?
Vibrators that get soft when exposed to light, and hard when... well you get the point.
I thought you couldn't light the inside your body.
I was under the assumption that was the one place the sun don't shine.
liqbase
No Flash Photography Please
Why would you want a door that opens to light?
Yeah, like Shrinky Dinks this'll be a hit with the mail-order or discount store crowd before you know it.
People tend to forget what cyanoacrylate's first purpose was.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Will we have to carry around little personal door openers like Commander Koenig did in Space:1999? :)
door latches that can be opened with a flashlight.
Right... 'cause we all want a door that opens itself every morning when the sun comes up!
"Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney
I had one of those Star Wars Speeders that fit Luke and Ben Kenobi action figures as a kid. It was all plastic. I accidentally left it on the dashboard of my mom's car during a sunny day.
Sure enough, light changed its shape irrevocably.
Just to clarify... this plastic changes shape in response to various wavelengths of light... not the quantity, as has been previously done. (Note - the older technology has been adapted for cell phones, too)
HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets
This could be the ultimate cure for geeks. Simply wear special plastic goggles that restrict vision (and hence computer access) if wearer does not go outside.
The toad can't burp - and for some reason can't fart either, so it swells up and eventually explodes. --Anonymous Coward
I don't see all that many applications for this tech, but one which might become useful is covers for solar cells. If they can make the deformation intensity reliant rather than frequency reliant, they can make the covers open when there's sufficient light that it's worth it and close when there isn't.
Personally, I'd like some self-adjusting miniblinds.
"No fair, you changed the outcome by measuring it!" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth
Inside sources have confirmed that Longhorn will have a cool feature called 'irregular display'. If the use hits 'windows key + $ + ^ + F13' the screen would emit a low wave length light that will deform the monitor. You can preset the deformation patterns before hand. This revolutionary feature uses the 'plastic deformable by light' discovered recently at MIT.
"This is a unique feature which will help us take on OS X Tiger" - Gates
The only problem is that once deformed the monitors cannot be reverted to their orignal shape. MS is hoping that the users wont discover this bug. They might fix this in Service Pack 24 for Longhorn.
fuvoo: watch something
Anyone remember the way the plastic inside those used to change shape if you left them in your car on a hot, sunny day.
Why do these "gee whiz" stories about new tech or materials always have such strange example applications?
"This material could one day lead to medical devices that build themselves inside a patient's body, or door latches that can be opened with a flashlight."
Okay, the medical one isn't so bad (except, kinda dark in a body)... but a door latch that opens with a flashlight? Huh?
How about...
- Plastic flowers that open in the sunlight!
- Sunglasses that automatically lower in front of your eyes!
- Light-based transformer toys!
- Gag sundials!
Okay, maybe this is harder than it looks...
Hexy - a strategy game for iPhone/iPod Touch
Pr0n anyone?
Just think about the dash on the clunker you drove in high school.
It's a perfect time for being wasted.
A perfect time to watch the stars.
- Burden Brothers, "Beautiful Night"
Yikes...imagine breast implants made out of this stuff. Ahh...the imagination of a geek!
Cool stuff, but:
or door latches that can be opened with a flashlight.
Why the hell would that be a good idea?!
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
"door latches that can be opened with a flashlight"
So now instead of needing a wide range of lock picking tools, you just need a flashlight. Wonderful.
(E;3)
Real doll when you have visitors over, but when the lights turn off at night she transforms like cinderella.
Have you ever been to a turkish prison?
This could allow retail level solar panels to eek out the equivalent to an additional 2 hours of peak sunlight over a 12 hour period. Initially this would appear to be a 10% improvement but in reality it is closer to a 30% improvement (I will leave it as an exercise for the reader to integrate sin(x.pi/12) from 0 to 12 hours [flat panel on the ground with the sun passing directly overhead] to yield 6.28).
I should imagine the cost of the plastic is going to be far less than the processed silicon for solar cells.
da ZombieEngineer
What, no flying cars?
OSU had developed light-tunable plastic magnets. Here the plastic material becomes 1.5 times more magnetic when blue light shines on it. Green light partially reverses that effect.
Another interesting work is from PSU on PLZT, this new material shows a large piezoelectric effect in response to near-ultraviolet light. Piezoelectric materials convert electricity into mechanical energy -- movement. When an electric current is run through piezoelectric ceramic, the ceramic changes size -- it shrinks or expands. Certain ferroelectric materials exhibit stronger photovoltaic (light into electricity) effects. Combining these ferroelectrics with piezoelectrics (electricity into motion), researchers created a single material that would convert light directly into motion.
Gah, I did this years ago using sunlight and a magnifying glass.
Oh, hold on...
CD that unwraps itself
Condom that changes color according to your mood.
All of these wonderful features with only one piece of plastic. Flashlight not included.
They can stay smallish during the week so the lady doesn't get unwanted catcalls, then when she puts on a bikini - POP!
Ah, plastics... truly better living through technology!
The revolution will NOT be televised.
Well, my wife does. It can sort of shapeshift. It is plastic as well and if anybody but me or her see it it becomes a "Back Massager".
Turk: Let's play Steak. J.D.: What? Turk: Steak. The 1st person to finish their steak is the winner of Steak. -Scrubs
This sheet of plastic is really a model of the Eiffel tower when the lights are off. Trust me, I'm a scientist.
Close the door! You're letting the dark in!
Joke Sundials, anyone?
I have met some women who have faces made out of this stuff. Unfortunately I had to find out the hard way.
How about condoms that put *themselves* on when you turn the lights off?!
I have a piece of wood that changes shape in the company of hot chicks.
Obviously these scientists have never seen the dash of my car...
Now you don't have to blame the alcohol when you say she looked different because of the low lighting.
YES! Now, instead of turning a doorhandle, I can reach into my pocket and turn on a flashlight. I can't wait to buy the batteries.
Rewriteable CDs anyone?
We now have the means to see if the light really does stay on in the fridge. Check...mate....Maytag
Not all wavelenghts of light are absorbed by human flesh, X-ray comes to mind.
As far as applications for a door. If the lock was composed of several peices of plastic that changed when exposed to different wavelengths you could create a fairly secure lock. You'd need to flash the lock with the right wavelengths in the right order, although it could be a bitch if you lost your "key".
You wouldn't have to worry about getting caught with a dildo, either. If someone turns on the light and "catches" you, the most they could ask is "Why do you have a barbie doll in (random orifice)?" Getting caught with a dildo requires no such questions...
I find it hard to believe that no /. ers or BoingBoingers mentioned the similarity between this polymer and Pynchon's legendary Imipolex-G - the erotic (as clothing and/or weaponry) polymerproduced in Gravity's Rainbow.
... and then, when nanotechnoly is thriving, they will come up with something so small, thin and cheap that will make every geek go nuts: a key.
in the light -- in the dark -- in the light -- in the dark -- in the light -- in the dark ...
Plastics.
OK, it sucks, but it's 7:30AM on a saturday and I'm stuck working.
I thought that was plastic, which if true would make the post summary ("the first..") false.
... it shows that you didn't read the article
In order to do that, it would have to not open in the presence of certain frequencies - or in other words open when only certain combination of frequencies were applied to it. That's a pretty tall order and I don't think this technology is capable of that.
If you look right in the article it states:
"The shape-changing ability is accomplished by attaching photosensitive molecules to a polymer. When exposed to ultraviolet light, the photosensitive particles become active and link to one another, changing the shape of the plastic. Exposing it to light of a slightly different frequency reverses the first reaction, allowing the plastic to return to its original shape."
In order to make the plastic re-form, you need to apply "a slightly different frequency". Obviously this technology is capable of doing exactly what I said is. What I don't think it is capable of is bending in the presence of light and then returning when light isn't there. It needs light of a different frequency to go back.
BTW, for those of you who want to know the name of the 'chemical molecule' it's, Azobenzen.
I don't claim I know more than I know, and if you know you know more than I know, then by all means, let me know.
Ha ha it's not a troll.
I was continuing the lyrics from the song the parent started.
It's by mindless self indulgence, first track on frankenstein girls will seem strangely sexy.
to continue.
PAINT all the people you love
in a river of blood
and don't forget the guns,
you're gonna need them to
DESTROOYYYYYY!
ALWAYS DESTROY!
kaens.blogspot.com
No, but we might want a window that does. Have it close up on a cold night and open to a warm summer morning to let the fresh air in...
Oh boy! so this kind of plastic going to provide skins for terminator-II or terminator-III ?
melting!
I'd like some window blinds that opened to sunlight automatically without mechanical components please.