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Thread: WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

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    God/dess AinNY's Avatar
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    Default WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me



    Terrible, horrible things can be done to this millimeters-thick patch of shimmering material crafted by chemists at NanoSonic in Blacksburg, Virginia. Twist it, stretch it double, fry it to 200°C, douse it with jet fuel—the stuff survives. After the torment, it snaps like rubber back to its original shape, all the while conducting electricity like solid metal. “Any other material would lose its conductivity,� says Jennifer Hoyt Lalli, NanoSonic’s director of nanocomposites.

    The abused substance is called Metal Rubber, and, according to NanoSonic, its particular properties make it unique in the world of material chemistry. As a result, the company’s small office has been flooded with calls from Fortune 500 companies and government agencies eager to test Metal Rubber’s use in everything from artificial muscles to smart clothes to shape-shifting airplane wings.

    At this stage, however, NanoSonic is busy meeting the demand for its 12-inch-by-12-inch samples, which take custom-built robots up to three days to create. That’s speedy, if you consider that Metal Rubber, a product of nanotechnology, must be fabricated molecule by molecule.

    The manufacturing process, called electrostatic self-assembly, starts with two buckets of water-based solutions—one filled with positively charged metallic ions, the other with oppositely charged elastic polymers. The robot dips a charged substrate (glass, for example) alternately from one bucket to the next. The dipping slowly builds up tight, organized layers of molecules, bonded firmly by opposing charges. Afterward the substrate is removed, leaving a freestanding sheet of Metal Rubber.

    With investor interest booming, Metal Rubber could make its commercial debut within a year or so. Although shape-shifting aircraft wings and sensory robotic gloves are on the horizon, Metal Rubber will probably appear first in more humble, practical roles. Abuse-resistant flexible circuits and wires, for instance, could allow you to do terrible, horrible things to your portable electronics—consequence-free.

    Thats some crazy stuff....cant believe im just reading about this now

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    Featured Member Hottie7268's Avatar
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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    This isn't new hunny.....I swear I read about this before. At least I think I did. Is this the same stuff they plan on using on space ships and stuff? I believe it is......

    Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.



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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    They should start manufacturing implants out of this stuff.LOL!
    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

    一个女人的枢机规则:肢体可以伪造,一切必须真实.

    中国大CHINESE BIG BOOBS!!!中国大




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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    OoooooooooOOooooo... kinda like Memory Metal! I've heard about the development, but that's about it.

    A little history and description of Memory Metal:
    "In 1965, the first of a series of metal alloys of nickel and titanium was produced by the Naval Ordnance Laboratory. These alloys are called Nitinol, for Nickel Titanium Naval Ordnance Laboratory. Many of the alloys have a rather remarkable property: they remember their shape. This "smart" property is the result of the substance's ability to undergo a phase change - a kind of atomic ballet in which atoms in the solid subtly shift their positions in response to a stimulus like a change in temperature or application of mechanical stress. A simple demonstation involves bending a sample, then exposing it to a source of heat like hot air or hot water. The sample recovers its original shape as its temperature is raised above the temperature corresponding to the phase change. This temperature may be tuned by varying the ratio of nickel to titanium atoms in the solid by a few percent relative to a 1:1 ratio. "

    This shite is a little different though (from the economist):
    "Rick Claus, an electrical engineer at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia, and Jennifer Lalli, a polymer chemist at NanoSonic, a spin-out from Virginia Tech, believe they have solved this problem. They have created a “metal rubber�—a substance that conducts electricity like a metal, but also stretches like rubber to up to 250% of its original length. This novel substance was made using a simple and relatively low-cost technology called “electrostatic self-assembly� in which a thin film of material is immersed in a solution containing positively charged ions, washed to remove any impurities, and then immersed in a second solution containing negatively charged ions (which stick to the positive ions on the preceding layer). The process is repeated to build up alternating layers of positive and negative ions on top of each other.

    Dr Claus has already used this process to make a flexible kind of photovoltaic cell, made from alternating polymer and ceramic layers, that can be sewn on the outside of a tent. To create the metal rubber, layers of non-conducting polymers are alternated with layers of metal ions, such as gold, silver or platinum. The material can be made in sizes up to one foot square. The concentration of metal—as little as 2% by volume—is low enough not to constrain the material's elasticity, but high enough to conduct electricity."


    And screw the military applications! How about clothing??




    Here's the nanosonic website:
    http://www.nanosonic.com/


    nice topic A... you have satisfied my enginerd psyche for the day.

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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Quote Originally Posted by Hottie7268 link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152755#msg152 755 date=1092067334
    This isn't new hunny.....I swear I read about this before. At least I think I did. Is this the same stuff they plan on using on space ships and stuff? I believe it is......
    AGuy did a good job with the memory metal which is probably what you are thinking about. That has been talked about for a while now.

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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Quote Originally Posted by onlythebest link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152756#msg152 756 date=1092067423
    They should start manufacturing implants out of this stuff.LOL!
    :o i dont think you want it to rust

    what about condoms

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    God/dess onlythebest's Avatar
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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Quote Originally Posted by AinNY link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152763#msg152 763 date=1092067840
    Quote Originally Posted by onlythebest link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152756#msg152 756 date=1092067423
    They should start manufacturing implants out of this stuff.LOL!
    :o i dont think you want it to rust

    what about condoms
    That is another good idea I think.Those condoms with be 100% effective in that case.
    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

    一个女人的枢机规则:肢体可以伪造,一切必须真实.

    中国大CHINESE BIG BOOBS!!!中国大




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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Quote Originally Posted by onlythebest link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152766#msg152 766 date=1092067933
    That is another good idea I think.Those condoms with be 100% effective in that case.
    Just dont go doing it on silk sheets...causing too much static electricity....otherwise someone is getting a shock in a sensative area....wow im a dork

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    God/dess onlythebest's Avatar
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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Quote Originally Posted by AinNY link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152768#msg152 768 date=1092068149
    Quote Originally Posted by onlythebest link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152766#msg152 766 date=1092067933
    That is another good idea I think.Those condoms with be 100% effective in that case.
    Just dont go doing it on silk sheets...causing too much static electricity....otherwise someone is getting a shock in a sensative area....wow im a dork
    Hey,that might heighten the sensation.LMAO!!!
    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

    一个女人的枢机规则:肢体可以伪造,一切必须真实.

    中国大CHINESE BIG BOOBS!!!中国大




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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Quote Originally Posted by onlythebest link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152769#msg152 769 date=1092068209
    Quote Originally Posted by AinNY link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152768#msg152 768 date=1092068149
    Quote Originally Posted by onlythebest link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg152766#msg152 766 date=1092067933
    That is another good idea I think.Those condoms with be 100% effective in that case.
    Just dont go doing it on silk sheets...causing too much static electricity....otherwise someone is getting a shock in a sensative area....wow im a dork
    Hey,that might heighten the sensation.LMAO!!!
    Not only that, they have memory!!! woohooo!

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    God/dess onlythebest's Avatar
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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    LMAO!!!!!
    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

    一个女人的枢机规则:肢体可以伪造,一切必须真实.

    中国大CHINESE BIG BOOBS!!!中国大




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    Featured Member scorpio's Avatar
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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    I just ordered a case of condoms made of this stuff.

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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    sounds pretty intense... count me in for a case as well! (oh wait, my sex life has crashed and burned, what's the shelf life on these things?)

    at any rate, this stuff is pretty intreaguing!
    ~Bella Regazza Italiana~

    "Dress shabbily, they notice the dress; Dress impeccably, they notice the person." ~Chanel

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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Ya know........this reminds me of Spider Silk that they have figured they can use in Body Armor applications. I remember that it would stop a bullet better then Kevlar.

    Anyone remember reading about that one?
    I've heard that a good signiture sets you apart from everyone.
    Well......is this good enough???

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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Quote Originally Posted by samart link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg153237#msg153 237 date=1092095476
    Ya know........this reminds me of Spider Silk that they have figured they can use in Body Armor applications. I remember that it would stop a bullet better then Kevlar.

    Anyone remember reading about that one?
    Do I remember?? but of course:

    When a team of University of Wyoming researchers discovered and mapped the genes responsible for spider silk in 1989, the findings opened the door to military and medical applications like spider silk body armor and artificial tendons.

    Made of fibers that are 10 to 100 times smaller in diameter than a human hair, put together in a cloth-like material, spider silk is tougher and weighs three times less than Kevlar — a plastic fiber that is used in bulletproof vests.

    Used for medical sutures, artificial ligaments, and artificial tendons, spider silk could increase the success rate for surgeries.

    Today, after 15 years of work on spider genes, led by Dr. Randy Lewis, the University of Wyoming is the worldwide leading authority in this scientific area.

    “When it comes to spider silk genes — we are the leading authority — without a doubt,� Lewis says. “Most of the people … are not doing it anymore, because they know that if there is something out there, which is interesting — we are going to beat them to it.�

    The Lewis team has already published substantial studies on the spider genome in the world’s most reputable scientific journals, but UW scientists continue to make major discoveries every year.

    “If you make a major discovery once a year, you are having a heck of a life as a scientist,� Lewis said. “We have cloned and sequenced the genes from 26 different species of spiders … two a year.�

    Scientists have known the properties of spider silk for centuries; they’ve just never been able to produce enough to make it commercially available.

    With the advent of genetic engineering, UW scientists pioneered the idea to take spider genes and introduce them into other species.

    To discover the genes, UW scientists took a small piece of DNA they hoped matched the spider silk-producing gene, and introduced it into bacteria, hoping the micro-organism colonies would exhibit the silk-producing qualities found in spiders.

    After weeks of tests, they found the right gene.

    “Once you knew you had the right one, the rest is technologically challenging but not intellectually challenging,� Lewis said.

    When it became clear it was not cost efficient to use bacteria in large-scale spider silk production, UW started to cooperate with Canada-based Nexia Biotechnologies to produce spider silk proteins in goats’ milk.

    “We took the genes and spliced them into goats … in a way that they are only produced in the milk,� Lewis says. “It’s not the first gene that anybody has done it with it’s the first … in which they are looking for a fairly large amount of material.�

    Producing a large amount of spider silk is key to the material becoming commercially applicable.

    “Nobody has been able to produce enough,� Lewis said. “It’s not easy.�

    To make a 5-pound bulletproof vest, a producer would use 600 gallons of goat milk containing the silk protein. The milk production from 200 goats in one day would be used for just one vest.

    As a result, the UW team is also considering introducing the silk gene into alfalfa, a plant proven to grow well in the Wyoming climate.

    Research is ongoing, and if it is successful, Lewis says using alfalfa could be economically viable.

    Even if the price is lowered to a minimum, spider silk body armor could come with a price tag twice that of Kevlar-based body armor.

    Lewis said the U.S. military will be willing to pay for it, because the material is light and elastic.

    I can’t really imagine that I am out in Iraq with 16 pounds underneath my vest and it’s 110 degrees out there — and I can’t bend,� Lewis said. “If you can cut weight and make it that more flexible, you are going to have soldiers that are a whole lot more effective.�

    Despite the technological difficulties of bringing spider silk products to the market, Lewis said he is moving into the next stage of the intellectual research.

    Composed of 16 researchers — four postdoctoral, four graduate, and four undergraduate students — the team is now looking at manipulating genes to create silk that varies in elasticity and strength depending on the specifications needed for its use.

    Dragline silk — used mostly by predator spiders and known for its elasticity and strength — has been the focus of this research.

    UW scientists have discovered that the thinner the diameter of a fiber, the stronger the material made out of it.

    “The thinner the fibers are the more accurately they are put together,� Lewis said. “Evolution has taught spiders … that it’s a lot easier to wrap 100 little fibers to capture prey than one big one.�

    n n n

    The spider silk research has put Laramie and Wyoming on the world’s scientific map — especially when it comes to media and public attention, Lewis says.

    Quoted in the world’s largest English-speaking newspapers and featured in nationwide television newscasts and documentaries, the spider silk research has built on UW’s reputation.

    “There are a lot of other things being done in the university that are scientifically challenging, but people can’t relate to them as easily as spider silk,� Lewis says.

    Furthermore, the research is done by students from Wyoming, including undergraduates and graduates.

    “People have become very successful,� Lewis said, “taking the perception of most people from the outside — even from Wyoming — they have been able to do that.�

    Lewis said some people think athletic programs build a university’s reputation, and he agrees with them to a degree. But he says internationally recognized research can do the trick better.

    “I think that there are an awful lot of institutions who have a reputation for being intellectually challenging and intellectually stimulating,� Lewis said. “I hope — through the publicity we get for the spider silk research — that’s what comes across for the University of Wyoming.�

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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Here's a summary of all the current and potential synthetic materials for body armor:

    Kevlar is by far the most common fiber used to make body armor, but other materials are being developed.
    The most readily available alternative fiber is called Vectran, which is approximately twice as strong as Kevlar. Vectran is 5 to 10 times stronger than steel.

    Another rapidly emerging fiber is spider silk. Yes, spider silk. Goats have been genetically engineered to produce the chemical constituents of spider silk, and the resulting material is called Biosteel. A strand of Biosteel can be up to 20 times stronger than an equivalent strand of steel.

    Another candidate is carbon nanotubes, which promise to be even stronger than spider silk. Carbon nanotube thread is still rare, and fabric is even rarer. CNet reports the current price of nanotubes at $500/gram. In time, prices should fall and make carbon nanotubes a viable fiber for body armor.


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    Featured Member discretedancer's Avatar
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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    memory metal condoms....if they remember the "expanded" shape, then after your best lover, turn it into a vibrator

    ~tami

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    Featured Member discretedancer's Avatar
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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    A_guy/...did he really say terriers?

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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Quote Originally Posted by discretedancer link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg153377#msg153 377 date=1092105491
    A_guy/...did he really say terriers?
    haha... yup. Pretty depressing huh?

    Also "hostile" instead of "hostage"

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    Default Re:WOW....this is crazy stuff...for all the geeks and nerds like me

    Quote Originally Posted by discretedancer link=board=1;threadid=11920;start=msg153376#msg153 376 date=1092105461
    memory metal condoms....if they remember the "expanded" shape, then after your best lover, turn it into a vibrator

    ~tami
    Thats kind of funny you mention that...they have something similar out...that i made for someone recently :o

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