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Mad Scientist Invents Colored Bubbles

Posted by Zonk on from the bubbles-make-the-heart-float dept.

Anonymous Custard writes "Popular Science has a fascinating article up about toy inventor Tim Kehoe's quest to create colored bubbles. 'Chemical burns, ruined clothes, 11 years, half a million dollars--it's not easy to improve the world's most popular toy. ... It turns out that coloring a bubble is an exceptionally difficult bit of chemistry.'"

5 of 251 comments (clear)

  1. He's not a Mad Scientist! by Knight+Thrasher · · Score: 5, Insightful
    He's not a Mad Scientist!

    He's a happy, idea-patented RICH inventor. ;)

    That being said, this is EXCELLENT. Imagine possibilities like clothing that changes color depending on the soap you wash it with.

  2. it's the diappearing part that's hard by lashi · · Score: 3, Insightful
    If you read TFA, it's not making coloured bubles that's hard, it's making the colour diappear that's hard.

    His first coloured bubbles stained clothes, people, pets and everything else, and horrified parents even though the dyes were washable. It took him another nine years to come up with bubbles with disappearing colour which will have implication on a lot of other fields beside toys. Security for example.

  3. This is what science is all about: by mblase · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Like Kehoe, Sabnis doesn't seem to consider the possibility that a problem can't be solved.

    I love that one sentence. More than anything else, this one philosophy is what has led one person after another to change the world, even if it's just in the temporary-dye business.

    Good for these guys.

  4. Um what about the chemist by syousef · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Personally my respect goes to the chemist that solved the problem. Not the compulsive nut job that couldn't repeat anything because he didn't keep proper notes and who had to throw a massive party and cover everyone with colour to realise they'd freak out if you did that.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  5. MSDS? by iamlucky13 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Let's just hope we don't find out this sweet stuff causes cancer 6 months after it hits the market. : (

    He needs to get his act in gear and make bouncing bubbles. That sounded almost equally as cool.