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Plastic That Changes Shape In Light

Posted by Zonk on from the i'm-liquid-metal dept.

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"

8 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Light inside the body? by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 5, Funny

    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 :: faster than paper
  2. I can see the warning signs now by homer_ca · · Score: 5, Funny

    No Flash Photography Please

  3. Reminds me of my old Speeder by YetAnotherName · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

  4. For Slashdot Readers... by rookworm · · Score: 5, Funny

    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
  5. Sometimes the simplest things are the best... by Gadgetfreak · · Score: 5, Funny

    Personally, I'd like some self-adjusting miniblinds.

    --
    "No fair, you changed the outcome by measuring it!" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth
  6. perfect for the beach! by bobalu · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.
  7. So that explains it by _ph1ux_ · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have met some women who have faces made out of this stuff. Unfortunately I had to find out the hard way.

  8. Re:Odd examples. by UserGoogol · · Score: 5, Funny

    You have to appreciate the mind of a scientist.

    Scientist1: Dude, look at this plastic. When it comes in contact with ultraviolet light, the plastic forms bonds with itself, causing it to change shape.

    Scientist2: Awesome! If you hit it with another frequency, the proccess reverses itself.

    Businessman: Hm. What sort of applications do you think this could have?

    Scientist2: App-li-kay-shuns?

    Scientist1: Uh, you could make toys out of it. Or... maybe like you could have it bend into... uh... medical things. For medicine.

    Businessman: I'm cutting your funding.

    Scientist1: WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?!?

    --
    "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -- Hanlon's Razor